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OBSERVATK 

THE    POTATOE, 


'>K   THE 


POTATOE  PLAGUE 


TWO    PARTS 


POTATOE, 


i 

JATOE  MALADY 


AN  INQUIRY 


BY  CHARLES  P.  B<< 

'  .•  Ma.^achusens  Horticultu  Nr.  E.  Agriculturist, 

Auihor  or  a  Treaiise  on  ll 


! 
r 


BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED  BY  E.  L.  PRATT. 


7 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1846, 

BY  E.  L.  PRATT, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  ^District  of  Massachusetts. 


Boston : 

Printed  by  S.  N.  Dickinson  &  Co. 
No.  52  Washington  St. 


CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 
CHAPTER    I. 

Page 

Some  account  of  the  early  history  of  the  potatoe  —  Its  introduction 
into  Great  Britain  and  other  European  countries  —  Extravagant  price 
of  potatoes, 3 — 7 

CHAPTER    II. 

On  the  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

When  first  cultivated  as  a  field  crop  —  Thaer's  principles  of  agricul- 
ture —  Classification  of  varieties  —  Skin  of  the  potatoe  —  Color  of 
the  flesh  —  Nutritive  matter  contained  in  different  sorts  —  Soils 
—  Clearings  and  marsh  lands  —  Strong  land  —  Setting  potatoes  — 
Best  sort  for  seed  —  Comparative  value  of  whole  and  cut  tubers  — 
Quantity  of  produce  is  in  proportion  to  seed  —  Plowing  the  land  — 
Manner  of  setting  potatoes  —  Influence  of  the  weather  hi  planting,  7 — 15 

CHAPTER    III. 

On  Planting  Potatoes,  Harvesting,  fyc. 

The  marking  plow  —  Harrowing  —  First  cultivation  —  Tenacious  and 
wet  soils  —  Effect  of  cutting  off  the  blossoms  —  Effect  of  cutting  off 
the  leaves  —  Digging  the  crops— -Gathering  — Potatoes  dug  in  dry 

•";  •     ; .-   '.,1V  •'    •    '  >•    " 


CONTENTS. 

weather  —  In  damp  weather  —  Heaps  of  potatoes  —  Management  of 
the  heaps  in  autumn. 16 — 20 

CHAPTER    IV. 

An  Account  of  Diseases  which  have  previously  affected  the  Crop,  and 
the  Remedies  that  have  been  found  efficacious. 

Subject  to  disease  at  an  early  period  —  The  curl  —  Probable  causes  of 
the  curl — Observations  of  Mr.  Knight  —  Discovery  by  Mr.  Crozer  — 
Failure  or  taint  — The  drought  of  1826  —  Remarks  of  Mr.  Shirreff— 
Deterioration  of  varieties  —  The  potatoe  a  short  lived  plant  —  Late 
planting  recommended  by  Mr.  Knight —  Over  ripened  and  wider 
ripened  seed  —  Effects  of  comparative  wet  and  dry  soils  on  whole  and 
cut  tubers  —  Scab  or  ulcerated  surface  —  Causes  of  total  or  partial 
failure  have  existed  from  a  very  early  date  —  Planting  of  entire  tu- 
bers recommended  —  Rust,  black  rust  —  A  description  of  this  disease 
—  Cause  assigned  —  Observations  on  the  disease  from  various  author- 
ities —  Dr.  Van  Martius  on  the  epidemic  diseases  of  potatoes  — 
Views  of  Rev.  Mr.  Allen, 21—34 


CHAPTER    V. 

Various  Uses  to  which  Potatoes  are  applied. 

Comparative  value  of  potatoes  and  grain  —  Potatoe  flour  —  Farina  in  po- 
tatoes — Meal  of  potatoes  may  be  preserved — Tapioca  from  potatoes  — 
The  process  described  —  Potash  from  potatoe  leaves  and  stalks;  Po- 
tatoes for  cleaning  woollens  —  Making  wine  and  ardent  spirits  —  Ger- 
man method  of  making  potatoe  flour  —  Method  of  using  potatoes  in 
Denmark  and  Norway, 35 — 42 


PART    II. 

THE    POTATOE    PLAGUE, 

Preliminary  Remarks. 

Importance  of  the  subject — Extent  of  the  crop  in  the  United  States  — 
Review  of  various  theories  concerning  the  malady,        .        .        .  43 — 56 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Some  Account  of  the  Appearance  of  the  Disease  in  different  parts 
of  the  World. 

Action  of  the  British  Government —  Report  of  the  British  Commission- 
ers —  Proceedings  of  the  French  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  — 
Report  of  Professor  Morren  —  H.  S.  Thompson  on  the  prevention  of 
curl  and  dry  rot  in  potatoes  —  experiments  with  ripe  and  unripe  seed 
—  Causes  of  the  disease  stated  —  Conclusions  of  Mr.  Thompson  — 
Objections  to  his  theory  considered, 57 — 77 

CHAPTER    II. 

A  View  of  the  different  Theories  entertained  on  tlie  Potatoe  Plague. 

First  symptom  of  degeneracy  of  the  plant  in  Scotland  —  Diseased  tu- 
bers examined  —  Seeds  from  an  over-grown  crop  will  always  be  a 
diseased  crop  —  Remedy  proposed  —  Raising  from  the  apple  —  Dis- 
ease supposed  to  be  caused  by  rust  —  European  pamphlets  on  this 
subject  —  Result  of  chemical  investigations  —  Conversion  of  diseased 
potatoes  into  starch  —  Evil  ascribed  to  too  much  moisture  —  Fungi 
analogous  to  smut  in  barley" —  Remedies  against  fungus  —  Disease  as- 
cribed to  various  causes  —  Professor  Liebig's  opinion  —  Ascribed  to 
fungus  in  the  leaf —  Spomles  of  fungi  —  Experiments  in  planting  dis- 
eased potatoes  —  Disease  supposed  to  attack  the  stem  primarily  — 
On  new  high  ground  the  crop  less  affected  —  Opinion  of  J.  E.  Tes- 
chemacher — Salt  a  remedy  —  Analysis  of  sea-weed  —  A.  B.  Allen's 
opinion  —  Cause  of  fungi,  and  remedies  proposed,  .  .  .  76 — 94 

CHAPTER    III. 

Cause  of  the  Disease  and  Remedies  stated. 

Review  of  the  prevailing  theories  —  The  disease  exists  in  the  potatoe 
—  If  fungi  is  the  cause  a  certain  remedy  is  at  hand — Causes  of  the 
disease  —  OVER  RIPENING  —  OVER  CULTIVATION  —  DETERIORA- 
TION OF  SEED — CARELESSNESS  IN  SELECTING  SEED  —  Improper 
management  in  taking  up  potatoes  —  An  improved  method  of  plant- 
ing—Table— Selecting  potatoes  for  seed,  ....  95—116 


PREFACE. 


POTATOES,  as  an  article  of  human  food,  are,  next  to  wheat, 
of  the  greatest  importance  in  the  eye  of  the  political  econo- 
mist. From  no  other  crop  that  can  be  cultivated,  will  the 
public  derive  so  much  food  as  from  this  valuable  esculent ; 
and  it  admits  of  demonstration,  that  an  acre  of  potatoes  will 
feed  double  the  number  of  people  that  can  be  fed  from  an 
acre  of  wheat ;  they  are  relished  by  every  palate,  and,  it  is 
believed,  there  is  hardly  a  dinner  served  up  hi  any  country 
where  they  are  cultivated,  without  them. 

An  article  of  such  vast  importance,  —  that  forms  a  grand 
staple  of  our  agriculture,  —  the  principal  source  of  national 
wealth,  —  that  forms  a  prominent  article  in  the  diet  of  every 
individual,  —  deserves  the  particular  attention  of  every  one ; 
and  the  object  of  this  treatise  is,  to  collate  the  most  important 
facts  in  the  history  of  this  esculent,  as  well  as  the  opinions 
and  practice  of  the  best  cultivators,  with  regard  to  its  manage- 
ment, the  cure  of  diseases  affecting  it,  and  every  other  item 
of  information  respecting  it  that  can  be  turned  to  profitable 
account  by  our  own  farmers. 

But  more  particularly,  and  above  all,  my  object  has  been 
1 


ii  Preface. 

to  collect  facts,  opinions  and  remedies,  on  the  alarming  and 
fatal  disease  that  now  threatens  destruction  to  this  UNIVERSAL 
FOOD  FOR  MAN,  and  to  furnish  the  conclusion  which  emi- 
nent practical  men  have  arrived  at,  both  in  this  country  and 
Europe,  on  the  causes  of  the  disease,  and  the  appropriate 
remedy  for  it.  It  is  believed  that  a  sure  remedy  has  been 
discovered,  and  the  subsequent  pages  of  this  book  will  detail 
such  facts  as  will  encourage  farmers  to  proceed  with  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  potatoe  crop  in  all  confidence. 

Independent  of  the  particular  object  for  which  this  small 
treatise  is  especially  designed,  to  wit :  —  the  cure  of  the  Po- 
tatoe Plague,  farmers  will  find  much  valuable  information  on 
the  general  cultivation  of  this  crop,  which  will  be  valuable 
for  reference  long  after  the  plague,  (may  its  reign  be  short ! ) 
has  disappeared. 


HISTORY,  CULTURE,  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE 
POTATOE. 


PART    I. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Some  Account  of  the  Early  History  of  the  Potatoe;  its  In- 
troduction into  Great  Britain  and  other  European  Coun- 
tries. 

THE  Potatoe  now  in  use,  (Solanum  tuberosum,)  was 
brought  to  England  by  the  Colonists  sent  out  by  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  under  the  authority  of  his  patent,  granted  by  Queen 
Elizabeth,  "  for  discovering  and  planting  new  countries,  not 
possessed  by  Christians,"  which  passed  the  great  seal  in 
1584.  Some  of  Sir  Walter's  ships  sailed  in  the  same  year; 
others,  on  board  one  of  which  was  Thomas  Herriot,  after- 
wards known  as  a  mathematician,  in  1585 ;  the  whole,  how- 
ever, returned,  and  probably  brought  with  them  the  Potatoe, 
on  the  27th  of  July,  1586. 

This  Mr.  Thomas  Herriot,  who  was  probably  sent  out  to 
examine  the  country,  and  report  to  his  employers  the  nature 
and  produce  of  the  soil,  wrote  an  account  of  it,  which  is 
printed  in  De  Bry's  Collection  of  Voyages,  vol.  I.  In  this 
account,  under  the  article  of  roots,  page  17,  he  describes  a 


4  Early  History  of  the  Potatoe. 

plant  called  Openawh :  "  These  roots,"  says  he,  "  are  round, 
some  as  large  as  a  walnut,  others  much  larger ;  they  grow  in 
damp  soil,  many  hanging  together,  as  if  fixed  on  ropes ;  they 
are  good  food,  either  boiled  or  roasted." 

Gerard,  in  his  Herbal,  published  1597,  gives  a  figure  of 
the  potatoe,  under  the  name  of  Potatoe  of  Virginia,  otherwise 
called  Norembaga. 

The  manuscript  minutes  of  the  Royal  Society,  December 
13,  1693,  tell  us,  that  Sir  Robert  Southwell,  then  President, 
informed  the  fellows,  at  a  meeting,  that  his  grandfather 
brought  potatoes  into  Ireland,  who  first  had  them  from  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh. 

This  evidence  proves,  not  unsatisfactorily,  that  the  potatoe 
was  first  brought  into  England,  either  in  the  year  1586,  or 
very  soon  after,  and  sent  from  thence  to  Ireland,  without  de- 
lay* by  Sir  Robert  Southwell's  ai:  .stor,  where  it  was  cher- 
ished and  cultivated  for  food  before  the  good  people  of  Eng- 
land knew  its  value ;  for  Gerard,  who  had  this  plant  in  his 
garden,  in  1597,  recommends  the  root  to  be  eaten  as  a  deli- 
cate dish,  —  not  as  common  food. 

It  appears,  however,  that  it  first  came  into  Europe  at  an 
earlier  period,  and  by  a  different  channel ;  for  Clusius,  who 
at  that  time  resided  at  Vienna,  first  received  the  potatoe  in 
1598,  who  had  procured  it  the  year  before  from  one  of  the 
attendants  of  the  Pope's  legate,  under  the  name  of  Taratoufli ; 
and  learned  from  him,  that  in  Italy,  where  it  was  then  in 
use,  no  one  certainly  knew  whether  it  originally  came  from 
Spain  or  from  America. 

Peter  Cieca,  in  his  Chronicle,  printed  in  1553,  tells  us, 
chap,  xi.,  p.  49,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Quito  and  its  vicini- 
ty, have,  besides  Maize,  a  tuberous  root,  which  they  eat,  and 
call  papas  ;  this,  Clusius  guesses  to  be  the  plant  he  received 
from  Flanders,  and  this  conjecture  has  been  confirmed  by  the 


Early  History  of  the  Potatoe.  5 

accounts  of  travellers,  who  have  since  that  period  visited  the 
country. 

From  these  details  we  may  fairly  infer,  that  potatoes  were 
first  brought  into  Europe  from  the  mountainous  parts  of 
South  America,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Quito ;  and,  as  the 
Spaniards  were  the  sole  possessors  of  that  country,  there  is 
little  doubt  of  their  having  been  first  carried  into  Spain ;  but 
as  it  would  take  some  time  to  introduce  them  into  use  in  that 
country,  and  afterwards  to  make  the  Italians  so  well  ac- 
quainted with  them  as  to  give  them  a  name,*  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  they  had  been  several  years  in  Europe,  be- 
fore they  were  sent  to  Clusius. 

The  name  of  the  root  in  South  America,  is  Papas,  and  in 
Virginia,  it  was  Openawh ;  the  name  of  potatoe  was  evident- 
ly applied  to  it  on  account  of  its  similarity  in  appearance  to 
the  Battata,  or  Sweet  Potatoe ;  and  our  potatoe  appears  to 
have  been  distinguished  from  that  root,  by  the  apellative  of 
Potatoe  of  Virginia,  till  the  year  1640,  if  not  longer.f 

Several  authors  have  asserted,  that  potatoes  were  first  dis- 
covered by  Sir  Francis  Drake,  in  the  South  Seas ;  and  others, 
that  they  were  introduced  into  England  by  Sir  John  Haw- 
kins ;  but  in  both  instances  the  planf  alluded  to  is  clearly  the 
sweet  potatoe,  which  was  used  in  England  as  a  delicacy,  long 
before  the  introduction  of  our  potatoes ;  it  was  imported  in 
considerable  quantities  from  Spain,  and  the  Canaries,  and 
was  supposed  to  possess  the  power  of  restoring  decayed  vigor. 
The  kissing  comforts  of  Falstaff,!  and ,  other  confections  of 
similar  imaginary  qualities,  with  which  our  ancestors  were 
duped,  were  principally  made  of  these  eringo  roots. 


*  Taratoufli  signifies  also  truffles, 
t  Gerard's  Herbal,  by  Johnson,  p.  729. 

\  "  Let  it  rain  potatoes,  and  hail  kissing  comforts."  —  Merry  Wives  of 
Windsor,  Act  V.,  Scene  V. 

1* 


6  Early  History  of  the  Potatoe. 

The  potatoes  themselves  were  sold  by  itinerant  dealers, 
chiefly  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Eoyal  Exchange,  and  pur- 
chased when  scarce,  at  no  inconsiderable  cost,  by  those  who 
had  faith  in  their  alleged  properties.  The  allusions  to  this 
opinion  are  very  frequent  in  the  plays  of  that  age. 


CHAPTER    II. 

Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

IT  was  not  till  1771  and  1772,  that  the  practice  of  cultivat- 
ing potatoes  as  a  field  crop  began  to  acquire  supporters ;  but 
at  that  time  all  the  grain  crops  failed,  and  the  famine  which 
ensued  led  to  the  discovery  that  proper  and  sufficient  nour- 
ishment might  be  derived  from  those  very  potatoes  which 
had  hitherto  only  been  regarded  as  a  luxury,  just  as  well  as 
from  bread.  Still  its  cultivation  did  not  exceed  the  wants  of 
man  himself.  It  was  not  till  a  later  period  that  the  practice 
of  giving  the  refuse  and  surplus  to  the  cattle  began  to  creep 
in.  But  it  was  thus  gradually  discovered  that  potatoes  might 
be  advantageously  cultivated  as  food  for  live  stock.  Bergen, 
in  his  *'  Introduction  to  the  Management  of  Live  Stock,"  was 
the  first  to  recommend  the  practice  of  this  cultivation  on  a 
large  scale,  and  the  use  of  a  kind  of  horn  hoe  to  save  manual 
labor.  At  the  present  day  it  appears  scarcely  credible  that 
the  extreme  utility  of  this  plant  should  have  so  long  remain- 
ed unknown,  and  that  so  much  difference  of  opinion  should 
have  existed  on  the  propriety  of  raising  it  on  extensive  tracts 
of  land. 

"There  is  no  plant,"  says  Thaer,  in  his  "Principles  of 
Agriculture,"  "  to  which  I  have  paid  greater  attention  than 
to  the  potatoe.  Even  before  I  entered  upon  the  practice  of 
agriculture,  my  attention  was  excited  by  the  innumerable 
varieties  which  were  produced  by  raising  it  from  seed.  I 


8  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

treated  it  in  various  ways  at  that  time,  merely  with  a  view  to 
vegetable  physiology,  my  object  being  to  discover  whether 
the  distinguishing  characters  of  these  varieties  were  due  to 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  or  the  mode  of  fertilizing  it.  Since 
that  time  I  have,  in  raising  the  potatoe,  tried  all  the  methods 
proposed  by  others,  as  well  as  those  which  I  have  myself 
devised.  As  far~as  the  quantity  of  produce  is  concerned,  the 
results  df  various  modes  of  planting  and  cultivation  have 
shown  but  little  difference,  unless,  indeed,  the  cultivation 
were  altogether  neglected  or  badly  arranged.  The  quantity 
of  produce  was  found  to  depend  upon  the  soil,  when  the  spe- 
cies cultivated  was  the  same.  But  the  manual  labor,  and, 
consequently,  the  net  profit,  varied  considerably.  I  have 
-done  my  utmost  to  reduce  this  manual  labor  to  the  smallest 
possible  amount,  without  sensibly  diminishing  the  produce, 
for,  in  the  raising  of  potatoes  the  rent  of  land  is  much  less 
considerable  than  the  expenses  of  cultivation. 

"  I  will  venture  to  say,  that  I  have  attained  this  object  more 
•nearly  than  any  one  else,  and  that  I  have  found  myself  near- 
er and  nearer  to  it  at  the  end  of  almost  every  successive 
year.  I  therefore  beg  those  persons  who  have  read  my  for- 
mer works,*  and  the  observations  which  I  have  made  on  the 
•culture  of  the  potatoe,  to  consider  such  observations  as  the 
result  of  my  apprenticeship,  and  those  which  I  am  now  about 
to  make,  as  more  complete  and  matured." 

Ip  order  to  make  some  sort  of  classification  of  the  innumer- 
able varieties  of  the  potatoe,  we  must  confine  our  attention  to 
the  most  useful  part,  —  the  tuber.  It  is  true  that  the  leaves 
and  the  flowers  appear  to  bear  some  relation  to  the  form  of 
the  tuber,  but  the  particular  examination  of  them  belongs 
more  properly  to  the  botanical  cultivator. 

The  skin  of  the  potatoe  is,  in  some  •  varieties,  of  a  dark 
color,  approaching  almost  to  blackness ;  in  others  of  a  red- 

*  Thaer's  English  Agriculture,  vols.  1  and  2. 


Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe.  9 

dish  violet,  which  varies  to  pale,  brownish,  or  yellowish  red ; 
in  others,  again,  of  a  whitish  yellow. 

The  color  of  the  flesh  is  sometimes  yellow,  sometimes 
whitish,  or  perfectly  white,  and  sometimes  slightly  tinged 
with  red. 

The  several  varieties  of  the  potatoe  have  different  times 
of  arriving  at  maturity ;  that  is  to  say,  at  the  state  in  which 
the  tubers  are  detached  from  the  maternal  plant,  and  the  Ia1> 
ter  dies. 

But  the  points  of  difference  we  have  chiefly  to  consider, 
relate  to  the  consistence  of  the  potatoe  and  the  quantity  of 
starch  contained  in  it.  Some  varieties  are  very  spongy,  their 
interstices  are  filled  with  water,  their  specific  gravity  is  small, 
and  they  contain  but  a  small  quantity  of  nutriment  in  a  given 
bulk. 

The  flavor  of  some  potatoes  is  very  agreeable;  of  others, 
very  disagreeable.  Some  improve  by  keeping,  others  are 
best  when  fresh  gathered. 

Some  cook  speedily  and  burst,  others  resist  the  action  of 
steam  and  hot  water  for  a  long  time. 

Some  varieties  require  a  dry  soil,  becoming  quite  watery 
and  hollow  in  the  middle  when  grown  on  land  which  requires 
much  moisture;  they  also  secrete  water  in  their  cavities. 
Others,  on  the  contrary,  are  very  small,  and  are  scarcely 
worth  the  expense  of  cultivation  when  grown  on  a  dry  soil. 

Some  put  out  long  filaments  into  the  soil ;  others  press 
their  tubers  so  closely  together,  that  they  show  themselves 
above  ground. 

Some  varieties  thrive  particularly  well  on  marshy  land, 
others  perish  on  it,  and  thrive  on  an  argillaceous  soil. 

All  these  particulars  must  be  taken  into  account,  when  a 
selection  is  to  be  made  of  varieties  for  cultivation.  The  cul- 
ture of  a  new  variety  should  never  be  undertaken  on  a  large 
scale,  till  a  proper  trial  has  been  made  of  it. 


10  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

The  amount  of  produce  of  each  variety  must  be  taken  into 
consideration,  but  the  value  calculated  according  to  the  quan- 
tity of  nutritive  matter  contained  in  it.  This  may  be  judged 
of  approximately  by  the  sensation  which  the  fleshy  part  of 
the  tuber  produces  when  applied  to  the  tongue ;  or  more  ac- 
curately by  cutting  the  tubers  in  pieces,  drying  them,  and  com- 
paring their  weight  in  the  dry  state  with  what  it  was  before  ; 
but  an  accurate  estimate  is  only  to  be  made  by  chemical  an- 
alysis. Great  bulk  is  by  no  means  desirable,  if  it  be  not 
attended  with  increase  in  the  quantity  of  starch :  for  the  pota- 
toes then  take  up  more  room,  although  their  intrinsic  value 
remains  the  same,  and  they  are  more  likely  to  be  spoiled. 
In  other  respects  when  potatoes  are  cultivated  for  sale,  the 
choice  must  be  directed  by  the  taste  of  purchasers. 

Potatoes  will  grow  on  soils  of  all  descriptions,  and  in  favor- 
able weather  will  yield  a  good  crop,  even  oh  moving  sand, 
provided  that  it  has  been  well  manured.  On  a  stony  soil, 
well  prepared,  and  lightened  with  dung,  containing  straw, 
the  success  of  the  potatoe  is  certain ;  though  a  sandy  soil  is 
best  adapted  to  it. 

On  clearings  and  marsh  lands,  provided  the  soil  has  been 
well  drained,  and  especially  if  the  turf  has  been  burned  upon 
it,  potatoes  thrive  particularly  well,  and  sometimes  yield  a 
very  large  produce. 

It  is  generally  admitted  that  potatoes  grow  larger  after 
recent  manuring ;  they  will,  however,  yield  a  good  crop  even 
when  raised  as  a  second  or  third  crop  ;  but  the  soil  will  then 
be  greatly  exhausted.  I  have  never  even  thought  of  assert- 
ing that  potatoes  do  not  impoverish  the  soil ;  on  the  contrary 
I  have  stated  that  they  do  so ;  they  do  not,  however,  exhaust 
the  resources  of  the  establishment  in  general,  but  increase 
those  resources  to  a  considerable  extent,  if  they  are  given  as 
food  to  the  cattle. 

On  strong  land,  fresh  dung  mixed  with  straw  is  most  ben- 


Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe.  11 

eficial  to  potatoes,  and  the  more  so  in  proportion  to  the  close- 
ness of  its  contact  with  them ;  it  should,  therefore,  not  be 
carted  and  put  into  the  ground  till  just  before  the  seed  time 
of  ploughing.  But  for  light  soils,  the  dung  must  either  be  in 
a  more  advanced  stage  of  decomposition,  or  it  must  be  mixed 
with  the  earth  by  several  ploughings. 

Very  healthy  potatoes  are  also  produced  by  the  use  of 
other  active  manures,  such  as  scrapings  of  horn  spread  in  the 
furrows  at  the  seed  time  ploughing,  rags  of  wool,  and  the 
refuse  of  the  tan  yard.  Turning  sheep  on  to  the  field  after 
the  potatoes  have  been  set,  is  likewise  very  efficacious  in 
promoting  their  growth,  but  it  gives  the  tubers  a  bad  flavor. 
There  is  also  a  limit  to  the  degree  of  cultivation  proper  for 
potatoes ;  if  it  be  surpassed  the  haulm  becomes  excessively 
large,  and  falls  upon  the  ground  >,  the  number  of  tubers  is 
then  much  diminished. 

In  setting  potatoes,  it  is  necessary  to  select  the  most  healthy 
and  vigorous  tubers;  not  such  as  have  already. been  depriv- 
ed of  two  or  three  of  their  buds,  because  the  most  vigorous 
buds  are  always  the  first  chosen.  Especially  must  those  be 
rejected  which  have  been  much  exposed  to  the  cold,  even 
though  they  should  not  have  -been  much  injured  by  frost. 
Potatoes  grown  in  pits,  mounds,  or  hollows,  where  frost  has 
penetrated  and  destroyed  a  portion  of  tubers,  are  very  uncer- 
tain in  plantations ;  I  am  sure  of  this  from  my  own  experi- 
ence. They  either  do  not  shoot  up  at  all,  or  produce  but 
feeble  plants ;  great  care  should  therefore  be  taken  to  pre- 
serve those  which  are  intended  for  setting. 

I  am  aware  that  many  cultivators  have  obtained  abundant 
crops  of  large  potatoes  by  planting  none  but  small  tubers  j 
nevertheless  I  prefer  setting  those  of  large  and  average  size, 
especially  for  certain  varieties.  Small  tubers  have  not  the 
same  power  of  germination  as  large  on§s,  and  often  do  not 
germinate  at  all ;  whereas,  those  of  large  size  may  without 
injury  be  cut  in  halves. 


12  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

When  circumstances  are  otherwise  favorable,  very  strong 
plants  are  often  obtained  by  setting  mere  cuttings  of  potatoes 
containing  a  single  eye ;  or,  even  the  eye  by  itself.  But  on 
heavy  land,  which  has  not  been  well  pulverized,  as  well  as 
on  a  sandy  soil,  there  is  great  danger  of  failure,  if,  after 
setting,  or  during  germination,  the  weather  should  be  unfa- 
vorable for  the  formation  of  the  plant.  To  ensure  success, 
this  plant  must,  by  means  of  its  feeble  roots,  immediately 
seek  for  nourishment  in  the  soil.  It  must  not  encounter  a 
hard  piece  of  ground :  for,  as  it  derives  no  nourishment  from 
the  maternal  plant,  it  would  then  dry  up  and  perish.  I 
therefore  abandon  this  method  altogether,  although  I  former- 
ly recommended  it ;  it  succeeds  very  well  in  gardens,  but  is 
very  uncertain  for  potatoe  crops  grown  in  the  open  field. 

There  will  always  be  a  difference  of  opinion  touching  the 
expediency  of  setting  potatoes  close  together,  or  far  apart ; 
for  the  decision  of  this  matter  depends  upon  adventitious  cir- 
cumstances ;  but  repeated  trials  accurately  described,  seem  to 
show  that  the  quantity  of  produce  is,  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent, in  proportion  to  that  of  the  sets.  The  practical  results 
of  these  trials  are  as  follows :  — 

1.  The  amount  of  net  produce,  deduction  being  made  for 
the  quantity  of  potatoes  used  for  setting,  bears  a  tolerably  ex- 
act proportion  to  the  latter  quantity,  —  that  is  to  say,  that 
one  who  sets  a  larger  quantity  of  tubers,  will  usually  obtain  a 
more  abundant  crop  than  one  who  sets  a  smaller  quantity. 

2.  Fine  large  tubers  produce  not  only  larger  potatoes,  but 
also  a  greater  number  of  them. 

3.  The  degeneracy  often  observed  in  potatoes,  apparently 
results  from  the  use  of  unhealthy  plants  for  setting. 

4.  Small  tubers,  and  those  which  are  destitute  of  buds, 
cannot  by  any  means  be  recommended  for  setting. 

5.  When  potatoes  of  medium  quality  are  planted,  it  is  bet- 
ter to  set  them  whole ;  but  when  the  tubers  are  very  large* 


Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe.  13 

the  halves  will  be  found  sufficient,  provided,  however,  that 
they  are  set  rather  closely  in  the  rows. 

6.  It  is  not  advisable  to  cut  a  potatoe  into  more  than  two 
pieces. 

7.  It  is  better  to  set  the  tubers,  one  by  one,  and  close  to- 
gether, than  to  put  a  number  of  them  into  tl^e  ground  togeth- 
er, particularly  when  all  the   labor  is  performed  with  the- 
plough,  and  no  cultivation  is  given  with  the  hand-hoe. 

8.  It  is  not  advisable  to  plant  mere  buds  ;  they  often  fail.* 
I  give  these  principles  as  being  in  accordance  with  my 

own  experiments  made  on  the  large  scale,  with  the  exception, 
however,  of  the  first.  It  does  appear,  from  actual  experi- 
ment, that  the  quantity  of  produce  is  in  proportion  to  that  of 
the  potatoes  put  into  the  ground.  The  author  deduces  a 
result  by  dividing  his  plantation  into  two  parts.  In  one  of 
these  he  places  the  trial  in  which  the  quantity  set  amounted 
to  more  than  1,254;  and  in  the  other,  those  in  which  this 
quantity  was  less.  In  the  former  the  net  produce  of  each 
row  was  16.81  ;  in  the  latter,  only  15.41.  These  two  results 
are  in  the  proportion  of  1000  to  917.  The  loss  in  the  latter 
is,  therefore,  8J  per  cent.,  but  the  difference  in  the  relative 
quantity  of  the  sets  is  much  greater.  Then,  again,  among 
the  trials  included  in  the  latter  division,  there  are  several 
which  ought  not  to  be  included  in  the  comparison :  where, 
for  example,  the  set  consisted  of  mere  eyes,  or  handfuls  of 
very  small  scattered  shoots,  all  of  which  gave  but  a  very 
insignificant  product.  If  we  take  into  account  those  trials 
only  in  which  good  potatoes,  or  cuttings  of  them,  were  set  at 
intervals  of  1,  2,  3  and  4  decimetres,f  it  will  be  found  that 
the  difference  is  very  small,  not  exceeding  two  and  a  half 
per  cent. 

*  German  Agricultural  Gazette, 
t  A  French  measure  of  about  three  and  a  half  inches. 
2 


14  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

I  am  willing  to  admit  the  existence  of  this  difference,  and 
even  of  one  of  five  per  cent.,  if  the  potatoes  are  -set  in  one 
part  of  the  rows,  at  eight  inches,  and  in  another  at  twenty- 
four  inches  distance ;  so  that  the  quantity  of  sets  used  for  the 
former  shall  be  three  times  as  great  as  that  used  for  the  lat- 
ter. The  quantity  obtained  from  the  half  in  which  the  pota- 
toes are  at  the  greatest  distance  apart,  will  not  amount  to 
more  than  ninety-five  bushels  beyond  that  of  the  sets,  while 
the  produce  of  the  other  half  will  amount  to  one  hundred 
bushels. 

On  the  other  hand  the  practice  of  setting  at  greater  distan- 
ces is  attended  with  the  following  advantages,  in  field  culti- 
vation. 

1.  Potatoes,  especially  those  fit  for  setting,  bring  a  much 
higher  price  in  spring  than  in  autumn,  which  is  the  time  for 
gathering ;  the  keeping  of  them  occasions  both  trouble  and 
risk,  and  there  is  always  a  portion  spoiled. 

2.  Setting  at  greater  distances  occasions  saving  of  manual 
labor. 

3.  When  the  plantations  are  laid  out  in  rows  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  the  distances  between  the  rows  are  wide  enough  to 
allow  the  plough  to  pass  crosswise,  almost  all  the  manual 
labor  which  would  otherwise  be  required  to  weed  the  spaces 
will  be  saved. 

4.  These  ploughings  are  much  more  efficacious  in  cleans- 
ing, pulverizing  and  aerating  the  land,  than  they  would  be  if 
performed  in  one  direction  only,  so  that  the  object  of  follow- 
ing one  of  the  principal  ends  of  the  culture  of  weeded  crops, 
is  completely  attained.     We  say  nothing  about  the  effect  pro- 
duced on  the  potatoes  themselves,  by  cultivation  on  all  sides, 
since  we  have  admitted,  for  argument's  sake,  that  those  which 
are  cultivated  on  one  side  only,  yield  the  greatest  increase. 

5.  The  gathering  of  potatoes  is  performed  with  far  greater 
facility  and  despatch  when  they  are  grown  on  separate  hil- 


Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe.  15 

locks,  than  when  they  are  arranged  in  continuous  lines.  My 
farmers  are  more  willing  to  raise  potatoes  planted  singly,  for 
the  fourteenth  part  of  the  produce,  than  for  the  tenth  when 
they  are  planted  in  rows,  for  a  man  will  raise  eighteen  schef- 
fies  of  the  former  in  a  day.  where  of  the  latter  he  would  raise 
only  ten,  even  though  they  may  have  been  cultivated  with 
the  same  care.  This  saving  of  time  in  taking  the  crop  is  of 
great  importance. 

Such  are  the  reasons  which  induce  me  to  prefer  the  meth- 
od of  setting  potatoes  at  moderate  distances,  and  arranging 
them  in  lines  in  all  directions.  I  admit  that  when  this  meth- 
od is  adopted,  a  somewhat  larger  extent  of  surface  is  required 
for  the  production  of  a  given  quantity  ;  but  the  great  saving 
of  labor,  and  the  excellent  preparation  of  the  land  which  it 
affords,  are  of  much  greater  importance. 

In  setting  potatoes  regard  must  be  had  to  the  state  of  the 
weather.  In  this  country  I  never  plant  them  till  the  soil  has 
become  heated ;  and  I  have  always  observed  that  the  pota- 
toes set  Jast  were  the  first  to  come  up.  I  have  planted  them 
with  success  till  the  beginning  of  June  ;  but  I  endeavor  to 
get  the  setting  finished  by  the  middle  of  May.  If  the  soil 
contain  ever  so  small  a  quantity  of  clay,  it  is  absolutely  ne- 
cessary to  defer  the  planting  till  it  is  perfectly  dry,  and  no 
longer  adheres  to  the  implements. 

As  early  as  possible  in  autumn  I  break  up  the  soil  to  the 
depth  of  two  inches  lower  than  before,  and  then  pass  the  har- 
row over  it.  In  winter  the  dung  is  carted  and  uniformly 
spread.  At  the  beginning  of  spring,  this  dung  is  buried  by  a 
light  ploughing.  I  like  to  have  a  portion  of  the  manure 
brought  up  to  the  surface  by  this  operation,  because  a  greater 
quantity  is  then  collected  around  the  roots  of  the  potatoe. 


CHAPTER    III. 

On  Planting  Potatoes.     Harvesting.     Preserving  the  Crop. 

IN  the  preceding  chapter  I  could  not  resist  the  temptation 
to  copy  entire  Mr.  Thaer's  article  on  potatoes ;  it  seemed  to 
me  so  characterized  by  clearness  and  perspicuity,  so  emi- 
nently practical,  that  I  could  not,  with  propriety,  withhold  it 
from  a  compilation  of  the  kind  in  hand ;  besides  the  article  is 
new  to  American  readers,  and  cannot  be  uninteresting.  I 
•  continue  in  the  present  chapter,  the  account  of  Mr.  Thaer, 
embracing  some  suggestions,  the  most  important  to  us  at  the 
present  time,  on  the  subject  of  keeping  and  preserving  pota- 
toes through  the  winter.  The  extract  commences  with  Mr. 
Thaer's  method  of  planting,  which  was  alluded  to  in  the 
previous  chapter. 

By  means  of  the  marking  plough,  or  furrower,  already 
noticed,  lines,  or  small  furrows,  are  traced  at  right  angles,  or 
obliquely,  to  the  direction  which  the  plough  is  to  take.  Five 
persons  are  then  stationed  at  equal  distances  on  the  line  of 
the  plough,  each  having  assigned  to  him  the  space  which  he 
is  to  plant.  One  plough  traces  the  furrow,  which  is  imme- 
diately set  with  potatoes  ;  two  other  ploughs  then  follow,  and 
the  potatoes  are  set  in  the  furrow  traced  by  the  third.  It 
will  be  understood  that  the  persons  who  set  them  will  have  to 
go  from  one  side  to  the  other,  each  one  keeping  within  his 
allotted  space.  Each  potatoe  is  set  at  the  point  of  intersec- 


Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe.  17 

tion  of  the  line  traced  by  the  marker,  with  the  furrow  formed 
by  the  plough.  It  is  of  importance  that  the  potatoes  be  set 
as  close  as  possible  to  the  perpendicular  side  of  the  furrow, 
and  not  on  that  where  the  slice  has  been  turned  over ;  for,  in 
the  former  position,  the  potato  is  more  likely  to  remain  in  its 
place,  and  not  to  be  disturbed  by  the  horse's  foot. 

The  best  ploughmen  must.be  employed  to  trace  the  fur- 
row in  which  the  potatoes  are  set ;  first,  to  ensure  that  the 
furrow  may  be  of  a  proper  and  uniform  depth,  —  three  inches 
on  a  heavy,  and  four  or  five  on  a  sandy  soil.  If  the  laborers 
are  \vell  practised  three  ploughs  and  five  planters  will  finish 
eight  acres  per  day. 

A  week  after  the  setting,  the  ground  is  harrowed,  an  op- 
eration by  which  a  few  weeds  are  destroyed.  Great  numbers 
of  them  afterwards  spring  up.  Nothing  more,  however,  is 
done  to  get  rid  of  them  till  the  potatoes  are  about  to  spring  up 
and  some  of  them  just  beginning  to  show  their  leaves  above 
ground.  The  extirpator  is  then  passed  lightly  over  the 
whole  surface  of  the  field.  This  may  be  done  without  fear 
of  hurting  the  potatoes.  The  whole  of  the  weeds  are  thus 
destroyed.  The  soil  is  left  in  this  state  till  all  the  potatoes 
have  come  up,  and  is  then  harrowed  to  level  it.  After  this 
harrowing,  the  potatoes  are  as  clean  as  if  they  had  been  care- 
fully weeded,  so  that  it  only  remains  to  pass  the  horse-hoe  or 
cultivator  over  them. 

The  first  cultivation  is  performed  with  the  small  hoe,  and 
should  be  given  in  the  direction  followed  by  the  marking 
plough  or  furrower ;  the  second  must  be  performed  by  the 
horn-hoe  and  in  the  direction  of  the  plough.  This  will  be 
sufficient  in  the  greater  number  of  cases.  If  a  few  weeds 
should  have  escaped  here  and  there,  by  growing  close  to  the 
potatoes,  it  will  cost  but  little  labor  to  pull  them  up  while  yet 
in  flower. 

By  these  operations  the  cultivation  is  completely  finished 
2* 


18  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

before  harvest  time ;  and  nothing  remains  to  be  done  for  them 
till  they  are  ready  for  taking  up. ' 

When  the  soil  is  tenacious  and  exposed  to  humidity,  I 
iprefer  the  following  method  of  cultivation : 

The  soil  having  been  well  prepared,  lines  crossing  trans- 
versely are  traced  with  the  marking  plough,  and  a  potatoe 
set  at  each  intersection.  The  planting  goes  on  much  more 
»quickly  in  this  way ;  one  man  can  easily  plant  three  acres 
-per  day.  The  small  horse-hoe  is  then  passed  close  to  each 
row,  and  covers  it  with  earth.  When  weeds  spring  up,  they 
are  destroyed  by  passing  the  large  horse-hoe  in  the  same 
direction,  an  operation  which  is  performed  whether  the  pota- 
toes have  come  up  or  not.  When  the  potatoes  have  grown 
up  to  a  certain  height,  the  banks  or  edges  formed  by  the 
hoe  in  the  last  cultivation  are  cut  transversely  with  the  large 
hoe ;  another  and  final  cultivation  is  perhaps  given  in  the 
direction  of  the  first. 

The  advantages  presented  by  this  method  when  applied  to 
an  argillaceous  soil  are  very  striking.  The  potatoe  is  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  light  earth,  and  dung  heaped  around 
it.  It  is  preserved  from  any  excess  of  moisture  that  might 
injure  the  crop,  because  it  is  placed  above  the  bottom  of  the 
furrow  by  which  the  water  drains  off.  The  soil  in  which  it 
rests  is  also  thoroughly  warmed  by  the  sun.  But  this  meth- 
od is  recommended  for  those^  soils  only  in  which  potatoes 
might  suffer  from  excess  of  moisture,  as  a  sharpish  frost 
.attacking  the  potatoes  before  they  were  gathered  might  pen- 
etrate too  deeply  into  the  ridges. 

When  the  earth  has  been  laid  up  for  the  last  time,  and  the 
potatoes  begin  to  blossom,  they  must  be  left  quiet ;  for  it  is 
then  that  the  young  tubers  are  formed. 

Some  persons  have  recommended  that  the  flowers  be  cut 
off,  in  order  to  increase  the  growth  of  the  tubers ;  but  the 
recommendation  is  absurd.  Cullen,  of  Edinburgh,  observed 


Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe.  -       19 

some  time  ago,  that  the  developement  of  the  tubers  keeps 
pace  with  that  of  the  flowers ;  and  experiments  especially 
directed  to  this  point  have  uniformly  shown  that  the  crop  is 
x  much  injured  by  the  removal  of  the  flowers. 

Cullen  also  tried  the  effect  of  cutting  off  the  leaves  as  fast 
as  they  grew;  the  consequence  was  that  the  potatoes  pro- 
duced no  tubers,  but  merely  filamentous  roots.  The  experi- 
ments of  Anderson,  showing  the  injury  occasioned  to  potatoes 
by  the  hasty  removal  of  their  leaves,  are  conclusive  against 
this  practice.  / 

The  digging  the  crop  has  always  been  looked  upon  by 
great  cultivators  as  the  most  difficult  part  of  this  branch  of 
husbandry,  and  has  been  the  main  cause  of  their  unwilling- 
ness to  undertake  it  on  a  large  scale.  This  fear,  has,  how- 
ever, greatly  diminished ;  it  has,  indeed,  been  found,  that  the 
getting  in  may  be  performed  with  greater  expedition  and  fa- 
cility than  was  formerly  thought  possible.  They  are  taken 
up  by  means  of  a  mattock,  or  potatoe  hoe.  When  they  are 
planted  according  to  my  method,  one  man  can  with  such  an 
instrument  easily  prepare  work  for  twelve  pickers.  In  this 
manner  potatoes  can  be  taken  up  with  less  work  than  with 
the  plough. 

In  gathering  potatoes,  I  make  use  of  boxes,  which  hold 
about  thirty  bushels,  and  are  placed  on  waggons.  In  one 
side  of  these  boxes  is  an  opening,  which  shuts  by  means  of  a 
sliding  door.  When  the  boxes  arrive  at  the  barn  the  door  is 
opened  and  a  kind  of  gutter  adapted  to  the  opening,  and 
along  this  gutter  the  potatoes  descend  to  the  place  intended 
for  them. 

Potatoes  dug  in  dry  weather  may  with  safety  be  placed 
immediately  in  a  cellar,  or  store-house,  protected  from  frost ; 
but  the  place  in  which  they  are  kept  must  be  left  open,  to 
afford  a  free  circulation  of  air,  till  cold  weather  comes  on. 


20  Cultivation  of  the  Potatoe. 

But  if  the  potatoes  are  raised  in  damp  weather,  it  is  better  to 
spread  them  out  on  a  floor,  and  let  them  dry  there. 

A  point  of  great  importance  is  to  cover  heaps  over  with  a 
layer  of  straw,  at  least  six  inches  thick.  This  layer  of  straw 
should  be  thickest  near  the  ground ;  it  should  there  extend 
beyond  the  heap  of  potatoes,  so  as  completely  to  prevent  the 
access  of  frost.  The  straw  should  be  well  filled  at  the  sum- 
mit and  angles,  and  the  whole  covered  up  with  earth.  It  is 
not,  indeed,  the  earth  which  protects  the  potatoes  from  frost ; 
this  effect  is  produced  by  the  straw,  which  prevents  the  radia- 
tion of  heat  from  them ;  but  the  earth  should  be  closely  pressed 
to  prevent  the  air  getting  through  the  straw.  Earth -which 
has  no  consistence  and  easily  crumbles  is,  therefore,  unfit  for 
the  purpose ;  if  no  other  can  be  obtained,  some  kind  of  cov- 
ering must  be  placed  over  it. 

A  precaution  very  necessary  to  be  observed,  is  not  to  close 
the  heaps  completely  in  autumn  so  long  as  the  weather  con- 
tinues warm.  A  small  quantity  of  air  must  be  allowed  access 
.through  the  top  till  the  frost  comes  on ;  a  vent  will  thus  be 
afforded  for  vapors  which  rise  from  the  heap.  Covering 
the  heaps  with  dung  is  always  useless  and  often  mischievous. 

When  a  thaw  comes  on  it  is  prudent  to  open  the  heaps  a 
little  at  the  top,  to  permit  the  escape  of  vapor. 


CHAP  TE  R    IV. 

An  Account  of  Diseases  which  have  previously  affected  the 
Potatoe,  and  the  Remedies  that  have  been  found  efficacious. 

IN  finding  materials  for  this  chapter  I  must  necessarily 
confine  my  attention  principally  to  English  publications,  as 
English  writers  on  agriculture  have  noted  and  marked  the 
nature,  effects,  and  cure  of  the  various  diseases  which  have 
affected  this  root,  with  more  exactness  and  precision  than 
have  characterized  American  writers  on  this  subject. 

The  potatoe  is  subject  to  disease  at  a  very  early  period  of 
its  existence,  not  merely  after  it  has  developed  its  leaves  and 
stems,  but  before  the  germ  has  risen  from  the  sets.  The 
disease  which  affects  the  p,lant  is  called  the  curl,  from  the 
curled  or  crumpled  appearance  which  the  leaves  assume 
when  under  the  influence  of  the  disease.  What  the  imme- 
diate cause  of  the  disease  is,  it  is  very  difficult  to  say ;  but 
the  puny  stems  and  stinted  leaves  indicate  weakness  in  the 
constitution  of  the  plant,  and,  like  weak  animals  affected  with 
constitutional  disease,  the  small  tubers  produced  by  curled 
potatoes,  when  planted,  propagate  the  disease  in  the  future 
crop.  The  curl  is  so  well  known  by  its  appearance,  and  the 
curled  plant  so  generally  shunned,  as  seed,  that  the  disease  is 
never  willingly  propagated  by  the  cultivator ;  still  there  are 
circumstances  in  the  management  of  the  tubers  which  induced 
the  disease  therein.  The  experiments  of  Mr.  T.  Dickson 


22  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

show,  that  the  disease  arises  from  the  vegetable  power  of  the 
sets  planted,  having  been  exhausted  by  over-ripening,  so  that 
gets  from  the  waxy  end  of  the  potatoe  produced  healthy  plants, 
whereas  those  from  the  best  ripened  end  did  not  vegetate  at 
all,  or  produced  curled  plants.  It  is  the  opinion  of  Mr. 
Crichton,  that  the  curl  in  the  potatoe,  may  often  be  occa- 
sioned by  the  way  the  potatoes  are  treated  that  are  intended 
for  seed.  "  I  have  observed,"  he  says,  "  wherever  the  seed 
stock  is  carefully  pitted,  and  not  exposed  to  the  air  in  the 
spring,  the  crop  has  seldom  any  curl ;  but  where  the  seed 
stock  is  put  into  barns  -arid  not  houses,  for  months  together, 
such  crop  seldom  escapes  turning  out  in  a  great  measure 
curled ;  and  if  but  few  curl  the  first  year,  if  they  are  planted 
.  again,  it  is  more  than  probable  the  half  of  them  will  curl 
again  next  year." 

Mr.  Knight,  on  the  subject  of  this  disease,  in  an  article 
written  in  1810,  says  :  "  A  few  years  ago  the  curl  destroyed 
many  of  our  best  varieties  of  the  potatoe,  to  the  attacks  of 
which  every  good  variety  will  probably  be  subject. 

I  observed  that  the  leaves  of  several  kinds  of  potatoes, 
which  were  dry  and  farinaceous,  that  I  cultivated,  produced 
curled  leaves,  while  those  other  kinds,  which  were  soft  and 
aqueous,  were  perfectly  well  formed,  whence  I  was  led  to 
suspect  that  the  disease  originated  in  the  preternaturally 
inspissated  state  of  the  sap  in  the  dry  and  farinaceous  varieties. 
I  conceived  that  the  sap,  if  not  sufficiently  fluid,  might  stag- 
nate in,  and  close,  the  fine  vessels  of  the  leaf  during  its 
growth  and  extension,  and  thus  occasion  the  irregular  con- 
tractions which  constitute  this  disease ;  and  this  conclusion, 
which  I  drew  many  years  ago,  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the 
opinions  I  have  subsequently  entertained,  respecting  the  for- 
mation of  leaves.  I  therefore  suffered  a  quantity  of  potatoes, 
the  produce  almost  wholly  of  diseased  plants,  to  remain  in 
the  heap,  where  they  had  been  preserved  during  winter,  till 


Diseases  of  the  Potatoe.  23 

each  tuber  had  emitted  shoots  of  three  or  four  inches  long. 
They  were  then  carefully-  detached  with  their  fibrous  roots, 
from  the  tubers,  and  were  committed  to  the.  soil ;  where 
having  little  to  subsist  upon  except  water,  I  concluded  tho 
cause  of  the  disease,  if  it  were  the  too  great  thickness  of  the 
sap,  would  be  effectually  removed,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction 
to  observe,  that  not  a  single  curled  leaf  was  produced  ;  though 
more  than  nine-tenths  of  the  plants,  which  the  same  identical 
tubers  subsequently  produced,  were  much  diseased. 

In  the  spring  of  1808,  Sir  John  Sinclair  informed  me  that 
a  gardener  in  Scotland,  Mr.  Crozer,  had  discovered  a  method 
of  preventing  the  curl,  by  taking  up  the  tubers  before  they 
are  nearly  full  grown  and  consequently  before  they  became 
farinaceous.  Mr.  Crozer,  therefore,  and  myself,  appear  to 
have  arrived  at  the  same  point  by  very  different  routes; -for 
by  taking  his  potatoes,  whilst  immature,  from  the  parent  stem, 
he  probably  retained  the  sap  nearly  inthe  state  to  which  my 
mode  of  culture  reduced  it.  I  therefore  conclude  that  the 
opinions  I  first  formed,  are  well  founded,  and  that  the  disease 
may  be  always  removed  by  the  means  I  employed,  and  its 
return  prevented  by  those  adopted  by  Mi*.  Crozer. 

Another  disease  affects  the  seed,  and  is  called  the  failure, 
or  taint,  which  consists  of  the  destruction  of  their  vital  pow- 
ers. Many  conjectures  have  been  hazarded  as  to  the  cause 
of  the  failure,  and  most  of  them  have  ascribed  it  to  the  fer- 
mented state  of  the  dung,  to  the  drought  of  the  season,  to  the 
heating  of  the  sets,  to  the  tuber  being  cut  into  sets,  and  o^her 
secondary  causes ;  but  all  these  conjectures  leave  untouched 
the  principal  consideration* in  the  question,  how  these  cir- 
cumstances should  induce  failure  now,  and  not  in  by-gone 
years.  Cut  sets  have  been  used  for  many  years  without- 
causing  failure.  Farm-yard  dung  in  various  states  of  de- 
composition, has  been  used  as  long  for  raising  potatoes.  The 
extraordinary  drought  of  182G  caused  no  fa'.lure,  while  in 
comparative  cool  seasons  the  disease  has  made  great  havoc. 


24  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

Mr.  John  Shirreff  takes  a  general  and  philosophical  view 
of  the  cause  of  disease  in  the  potatoe  crop,  and  though,  no 
doubt,  his  observations  are  particularly  applicable  to  the  curl, 
still  they  will  apply  equally  well  to  the  taint ;  for  the  con- 
nection between  the  two  diseases  is  so  intimate,  that  you  have 
seen  Mr.  Dickson's  observation  is,  that  some  sets  "  did  not 
vegetate  at  all,"  that  is,  failed,  "  or  produced  curled  plants." 
Mr.  Shirreff  adopts  the  general  doctrine  broached  by  Mr. 
Knight.  "  The  maximum  of  the  duration  of  the  life  of  any 
individual  vegetable  or  animal,"  he  says,  "  is  predetermined 
by  nature,  under  whatever  circumstances  the  individual  may 
be  placed ;  the  minimum,  on  the  other  hand,  is  determined 
by  these  very  circumstances.  Admitting,  then,  that  a  pota- 
toe might  reproduce  itself  from  tubers  for  a  great  number  of 
years  in  the  shady  woods  of  Peru,  it  seems  destined  to  be- 
come abortive  in  the  cultivated  champaign  of  Britain,  inso- 
much that  not  a  single  healthy  plant  of  any  sort  of  potatoe 
that  yields  berries,  and  which  was  in  culture  'twenty  years 
ago,  can  now  be  produced."  Mr.  Shirreff  concludes,  there- 
fore, that  the  potatoe  is  to  be  considered  a  short-lived  plant, 
and  that  though  its  health  and  vigor  may  be  prolonged  by 
rearing  it  in  elevated  or  in  shady  situations,  or  by  cropping 
the  flowers,  and  thus  preventing  the  plants  from  exhausting 
themselves,  the  only  syre  way  to  obtain  vigorous  plants,  and 
to  ensure  productive  crops,  is  to  have  frequent  recourse  to 
new  varieties  from  seed.  The  same  view  had  occurred  to  Dr. 
Hunter,  who,  in  his  Georgical  egsays,  has  limited  the  duration 
of  a  variety  in  a  state  of  perfection  to  fourteen  years. 

The  fact  ascertained  by  Mr.  Knight  deserves  to  be  noticed. 
That  by  planting  late  in  the  season,  an  exhausted  good 
variety,  may,  in  a  great  measure  be  restored ;  that  is,  the 
tuber  resulting  from  the  late  planting,  when  again  planted  at 
the  ordinary  season,  produces  the  kind  in  its  pristine  vigor 
and  of  its  former  size.  It  is  obvious  that  all  these  opinions 


Diseases  of  the  Potatoe.  25 

refer  to  the  possibility  of  plants  indicating  constitutional 
weakness,  and  why  may  not  the  potatoe  ?  I  have  all  along 
been  of  the  opinion  that  the  failure  has  arisen  from  this  cause, 
nor  does  it  seem  to  me  to  be  refuted  by  the  fact,  that  certain 
varieties  of  potatoe  have  been  cultivated  for  many  years  in 
the  same  locality  without  fail ;  because  it  is  well  understood 
that  every  variety  of  potatoe  has  not  indicated  failure,  and 
one  locality  may  be  more  favorable  to  retention  of  vigor  of 
constitution  than  another;  at  least,  we  may  easily  believe 
this.  I  have  no  doubt  in  my  own  mind  that  were  seed  pota- 
toes securely  pitted,  until  they  were  about  to  be  planted, — 
not  over-ripened  before  they  were  taken  out  of  the  ground, — 
the  sets  cut  from  the  crispest  tuber  and  from  the  waxy  end ; 
the  dung  fermented  by  a  turning  of  the  dung-hill  in  proper 
time ;  led  out  to  the  field,  quickly  spread,  the  sets  as  quickly 
dropped  in  it,  and  the  drills  quickly  split,  there  would  be  little 
heard  of  the  failure  even  in  the  dryest  season.  I  own  it  is 
difficult  to  prove  the  existence  of  constitutional  weakness  in 
any  given  tuber,  as  its  existence  is  only  implied  by  the  fact 
of  the  failure ;  but  the  hypothesis  explains  many  more  facts 
than  any  other,  than  atmospheric  influence,  for  example, 
producing  the  failure  like  epidemic  diseases  in  animals,  for 
such  influences  existed  many  years  ago,  as  well  as  now.  The 
longer  the  cultivation  of  the  tuber  of  the  potatoe,  which  is  not 
its  seed,  is  persevered  in,  the  more  certainly  may  we  expect 
to  see  its  constitutional  vigor  weakened,  in  strict  analogy  to 
other  plants  propagated  by  similar  means ;  such  as  the  failure 
of  many  varieties  of  the  apple  and  pear,  and  of  the  cider 
fruits  of  the  seventeenth  century.  This  very  season  (1843,) 
contradicts  the  hypothesis  of  drought  and  heat  as  the  primary 
cause  of  failure,  for  it  has  hitherto  (to  June)  been  neither  hot 
nor  dry,  while  it  strikingly  exemplifies  the  theory  of  consti- 
tutional weakness,  inasmuch  as  the  fine  season  of  1842  had 
so  much  over-ripened  the  potatoe,  —  farmers  still  unaware  of 
3 


26  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

the  cause  of  the  failure,  permitting  the  potatoes  they  have 
used  for  seed  to  become  over-ripened,  —  that  the  sets  this 
spring,  to  repeat  again  the  words  of  Mr.  Dickson,  "  did  not 
vegetate  at  all,"  even  in  the  absence  of  heat  and  drought,  and 
in  the  presence  of  moist  weather.  Had  the  potatoes  been  a 
little  less  over-ripened  in  1842,  the  sets  from  them  might 
have  produced  only  curl  this  season,  though  it  is  not  improb- 
able that  the  same  degree  of  over-ripening  may  cause  entire 
failure  now,  that  would  only  have  caused  curl  years  ago ;  and 
as  over-ripening  was  excessive  last  year,  owing  to  the  v,ery 
fine  weather,  so  the  failure  is  extensive  in  a  corresponding 
degree  in  this,  even  in  circumstances  considered  by  most 
people  preventive  of  its  recurrence,  namely,  in  cold  and  moist 
weather.  And  observe  the  results  of  both  1842  and  1843  as 
confirmatory  of  the  same  principle,  illustrated  by  diametrically 
opposite  circumstances.  The  under-ripened  seed  of  the  bad 
season  of  1841  produced  the  good  crop  of  potatoes  in  1842, 
in  spite  of  the  great  heat  and  drought  existing  at  the  time  of 
its  planting  in  1842 ;  while  the  over-ripened  seed  of  the  good 
season  of  1842  has  produced  extensive  failure,  in  spite  of  the 
coolness  and  moisture  existing  at  the  time  of  planting  in  1843. 
How  can  heat,  drought,  or  fermenting  dung,  account  for  these 
things  ? 

As  fact,  may  be  mentioned  the  effects  of  comparatively 
dry  and  moist  soil,  on  cut  sets  and  whole  potatoes,  which 
were  brought  to  light  by  an  experiment  of  Mr.  Howden,  and 
which  obtained  results  no  one  would  have  anticipated.  Says 
Mr.  Howden: 

"  On  the  28th  of  June  I  selected  from  a  stock  of  potatoes 
which  had  been  repeatedly  turned  and  kept  for  family  use, 
seventy  tubers  of  the  old  rough  black  variety.  I  divided  this 
number  into  five  lots,  sizing  them  so  that  each  lot  of  fourteen 
potatoes  weighed  exactly  four  pounds.  I  made  on  that  day  one 
lot  of  fourteen  pounds  into  starch,  and  obtained  nine  ounces. 


Diseases  of  the  Potatoe.  27 

On  the  same  day  I  put  fourteen  potatoes  whole,  and  fourteen 
cut  into  fifty-six  sets,  into  a  deep  box,  filled  with  dry  mould. 
The  remaining  fourteen  whole  and  fourteen  cut,  I  put  into 
another  box  filled  with  moist  earth,  and  which  was  watered 
from  time  to  time.  At  the  end  of  three  weeks,  all  the  plants? 
with  the  exception  of  five  sets,  made  their  appearance.  All 
this  time  'the  dry  box  had  been  kept  from  moisture.  On  the 
21st  of  July,  however,  I  allowed  it  to  be  moistened  with 
heavy  rain,  and  on  the  ^8th  of  July,  I  took  up  and  extracted 
starch  from  the  whole.  Before  doing  so,  however,  I  weighed 
the  several  lots,  and  what  seemed  to  me  curious  was,  that 
each  lot  of  the  whole  potatoes  had  gained  eight  ounces  ;  while 
each  lot  of  the  cut  ones  had  lost  six  ounces  of  its  weight,  and 
of  their  number  ten  did  not  vegetate.  The  sprouts  from 
the  whole  potatoes  weighed  four  ounces,  and  those  from 
the  cut  only  two  ounces.  Yet  the  starch  from  the  twenty- 
eight  cut  potatoes  weighed  but  two  ounces,  and  that  from  the 
twenty-eight  whole  potatoes  nine  ounces,  being  exactly  the 
produce  in  starch  of  half  that  number,  which  was  made  into 
starch  at  the  commencement  of  the  experiment." 

Loudon,  in  his  Encyclopaedia  of  Agriculture,  says :  "  The 
diseases  of  the  potatoe  are  chiefly  the  scab,  the  worm,  and 
the  curl.  The  scab  or  ulcerated  surface  of  the  tubers,  has* 
never  been  satisfactorily  accounted  for ;  some  attributing  it 
to  the  ammonia  of  horse  dung ;  others  to  alkali ;  and  some 
to  the  use  of  coal  ashes.  Change  of  seed  and  of  ground  are 
the  only  resources  known  at  present  for  this  malady.  The 
worm  and  grub  both  attack  the  tuber,  and  the  same  preven- 
tive is  recommended. 

The  same  causes  which  have  been  assigned  to  a  total  or 
partial  failure  of  the  potatoe  in  numberless  instances,  and  to 
a  most  distressing  extent  in  Ireland,  have  existed  since  the 
cultivation  of  the  potatoe  commenced,  but  without  the  effects 
deplored,  which  have  only  prevailed  within  a  very  recent 


28  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

space  of  time.  But  from  the  frequent  and  searching  investi- 
gation of  the  subject  by  the  most  competent  and  practical 
men,  a  preventive  against  the  failure  has  been  ascertained, 
namely,  the  planting  of  entire  tubers.  When  the  cut  sets 
have  failed,  the  entire  tubers  have  resisted  premature  decay ; 
whether  it  arises  from  atmospheric  influence  or  debility  of 
constitution,  or  from  any  of  the  conjectured  causes,  the  entire 
tub«rs  exert  their  noxious  influences,  and  germinate  healthily 
and  freely.  All  reports  agree  on  this  point ;  there  is  no 
risk  in  this  case,  if  the  tubers  be  sound  when  planted ;  and 
it  may  be  added  that  in  all  stages  of  their  growth,  the  uncut 
tubers  maintain  a  decided  superiority  and  yield  a  correspond- 
ing produce.* 

In  this  country,  the  most  prevailing  disease  that  has  been 
noticed  is  the  rust,  which,  by  some,  is  regarded  as  an  entirely 
new  disease,  while  others  speak  of  it  as  having  prevailed 
years  ago.  As  a  general  rule  with  us,  the  potatoes  have 
been  more  exempted  from  disease  than  any  other  cultivated 
crop,  the  least  liable  to  injury  from  insects,  and,  of  conse- 
quence the  most  certain  crop  which  our  farmers  could  culti- 
vate. The  scab  and  curl  have  been  the  only  known  diseases 
.  in  Europe,  and  probably  not  one  in  a  hundred  of  American 
cultivators  ever  saw  an  instance  of  the  latter  disease. 

In  1839,  the  potatoe  in  New  England  found  a  formidable 
enemy  in  the  black  rust,  which  has  caused  great  loss  wherever 
it  has  shown  itself.  It  has  been  most  destructive  on  low 
lands,  sluggish  streams,  near  ponds,  or  on  low  meadows  or 
plains ;  the  more  elevated,  airy,  and  dry  situations,  have 
generally  escaped.  The  following,  respecting  this  new  dis- 
ease, is  from  the  Farmer's  Monthly  Visitor,  and  I  invite 
particular  attention  to  this  account,  and  the  observations 
which  follow,  as  I  believe  it  will  be  found  closely  allied  to 

*  Dictionary  of  the  Farm,  p.  413. 


Diseases  of  the  Potatoe.  29 

the   Potatoe  Plague,  which  will  be  fully  described  in  Part 
II,  of  this  treatise  : 

"The  cause  of  the  rust  this  season,  (1839)  we  believe  to 
be  the  extraordinary  humidity,  combined  with  a  peculiar 
state  of  the  atmosphere,  at  some  period  in  the  high*  heat  of 
summer.  It  was  remarked  that  the  rust  struck  universally 
on  the  27th  of  August.  Early  planted  potatoes  were  not  so 
much  injured  by  it  as  the  later  crop.  Last  year,  it  will  be 
remembered,  the  severe  drougEt  in  that  part  of  the  country 
south  of  a  line  drawn  east  and  west,  at  the  distance  of  fifty 
to  seventy  miles  north  of  Boston,  generally  lessened  the  crop 
of  potatoes,  affecting  those  early  and  late*  planted  in  a  similar 
manner  that  the  rust  has  this  year  injured  them.  It  was  too 
dry  last  summer,  and  the  uncommon  wetness  of  the  present 
summer  has  been  alike  injurious.  More  than  half  the  days 
in  June,  and  two-thirds  the  days  in  July,  and  one  third  in 
August  were  rainy  days.  In  a  season  so  uncommonly  wet 
we  could  not  but  anticipate  quite  as  much  injury  to  some 
crops  as  we  have  suffered.  The  benefits  to  the  grass  crop 
and  small  grains,  have  amply  compensated  for  every  thing." 

In  1841,  a  correspondent  of  the  Maine  Farmer  wrote  as 
follows : 

"  Almost  all  persons  with  whom  I  have  conversed  on  the 
subject  ascribe  the  failure  of  the  potatoe  crop  to  rust;  and  I 
know  very  well  the  tops  have  a  rusty  appearance,  while  some 
few  have  mentioned  other  causes.  I  have  had  ample  time 
and  opportunity  to  examine  numerous  fields  under  all  the 
different  circumstances  of  soil  and  culture,  and  time  of  plant- 
ing, which  could  be  found,  and  the  result  in  my  mind  was 
satisfactory  that  no  single  cause  assigned  could  alone  pro- 
duce it.  In  one  field,  planted  partly  with  the  pink-eyed 
variety,  and  partly  with  the  long  reds,  the  pink-eyes  were  so 
dead,  the  tops,  on  pulling,  broke  off,  without  pulling  u.p  the 
potatoes,  and  the  owner  had  commenced  digging.  The  long 
3* 


30  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

reds  growing  side  by  side  appeared  as  fresh  and  fair  as  ever, 
to  a  casual  inspection.  But  on  closer  examination  the 
leaves  at  the  bottom  were  dying,  and  the  same  process  of 
decay  appeared  to  have  commenced-,  by  which  the  pink-eyes 
died.  It  is  said  the  sap  which  forms  the  potatoe  is  elaborated 
in  the  leaves,  and  I  believe  this  is  not  doubted  by  any  physi- 
ologists; but  how  can  this  fact  be  reconciled  with  the  fact 
that  some  varieties  are  quite  as  large  as  usual,  and  the 
assigned  cause  of  rust  we  have  mentioned. 

"  From  all  the  observations  I  could  make  there  seems  to 
have  been  some  general  cause  operating,  from  the  time  of 
the  blossoming  of  the  earliest  variety,  and  the  earliest  planted 
to  the  latest,  by  which  the  formation  of  the  bulbs  was  restricted 
to  few  in  number.  This  cause,  I  am  constrained  to  believe, 
is  atmospheric." 

A  work  has  lately  been  published  by  Dr.  Van  Martius,  on 
the  epidemic  diseases  of  potatoes.  He  enumerates  all  the 
diseases  that  have  been  observed  from  time  to  time,  and 
describes  more  particularly  two  forms  which  did  extensive 
damage  to  the  potatoe  crops  of  Germany,  in  1841.  These 
he  calls,  in  literal  English,  stem  rot,  scab.  It  is  to  the  first  of 
these  diseases  that  we  wish  to  call  attention,  as  resembling,  in 
many  of  its  symptoms,  moist  gangrene.  There  is,  however, 
this  difference  between  'that  disease,  and  the  one  we  are 
about  to  mention,  that  the  former  attacked  only  leaves  and 
fruits,  and  was  accompanied  by  the  presence  of  a  large  quan- 
tity of  moisture,  whilst  this  attacks  the  tuber,  an  underground 
«tem,  and  is  characterized  by  a  diminution  of  water  in  the 
tissue  of  the  plant.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  dry  gangrene,  and  Mar- 
tius calls  it  Gangrena  tuberum  Solani. 

When  potatoes  are  attacked  with  this  disease,  the  first 
thing  that  is  observed  is,  a  drying  up  or  shrivelling  of  the 
tuber.  The  skin  loses  its  ordinary  lustre,  becomes  wrinkled, 
and  shows  at  last  little  irregular  spots,  of  a  dark  brown  color, 


Diseases  of  the  Potatoe.  31 

which,  as  the  disease  progresses,  run  together  into  larger 
spots.  In  these  places  the  skin  seems  thicker,  and  has  the 
appearance  of  having  been  rubbed  against  something.  Sub- 
sequently, the  tissue  of  which  the  skin  is  composed  becomes 
loosened  and  torn  ;  and  by  the  breaking  up  of  its  continuity, 
it  assumes  the  appearance  of  the  back  of  an  old  tree.  Some- 
times the  skin  is  split  up  into  distinct  patches,  like  scales ;  at 
the  commencement  of  the  disease  the  interior  of  the  tuber 
does  not  suffer ;  but,  at  last,  a  change  of  color  takes  place  in 
the  tissues  under  the  spots  of  the  skin.  Patches  of  a  yellow, 
or  brown  color,  are  observed,  which  are  at  first  isolated,  but 
at  last  run  into  one  another.  These  patches  are  drier  than 
the  surrounding  tissue ;  but  up  to  this  period  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  disease,  no  changes  have  taken  place  that  render 
the  tuber  unfit  to  eat. 

As  the  disease  advances,  little  warts,  or  excrescences,  form 
on  the  skin,  which  are  of  a  dark  color  inside ;  they  are  at 
first  small,  but  keep  on  extending,  and  at  last  run  one  into 
the  other.  From  the  surface  of  these  warts,  a  fungus,  be- 
longing to  the  mould  of  the  potatoe  tribe,  is  observed  to  pro- 
ject. The  potatoe  now  begins  to  emit  a  disagreeable  odor? 
and  its  physical  character  is  greatly  changed.  Its  specific 
gravity,  which,  in  a  state  of  health,  is  1.163,  becomes  succes- 
sively reduced,  as  the  disease  proceeds,  and  at  last  is  about 
0.9.  If  potatoes  are  planted  with  this  disease,  in  no  case  do 
they  put  forth  healthy  shoots.  In  the  commencing  stages, 
the  eyes  put  forth  shoots  which  rise  above  the  ground,  but 
soon  perish.  In  the  latter  stages  the  whole  tissue  of  the 
potatoe  is  involved  in  disease,  and  on  cutting  into  it,  it  pre- 
sents a  dark  colored,  disorganized  mass,  very  dry,  and  not 
unlike  the  appearance  of  a  truffle. 

On  examining  the  tissues  under  a  microscope,  it  will  be 
found  that  the  cellular  tissue  of  the  skin  has  lost  its  trans- 
parency, and  become  of  a  brown  color,  and  that  of  the  in- 


32  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

terior  has  lost  its  brightness  as  well  as  its  moisture  and 
whiteness.  The  starch  grains  gradually  disappear,  and  cells 
filled  with  air,  and  a  yellow  fluid,  occupy  their  place;  Many 
cells  are  torn,  and  the  passages  are  filled  with  a  brown  fluid. 

Scattered  between  the  cells  in  all  directions  will  be  found 
dark  colored,  opaque  grains  of  various  forms  and  sizes.  These 
grains  do  not  develope  any  further,  but  at  last  burst,  and  in 
their  appearance  and  history  resemble  the  Protomyces,  or 
primitive  fungus  germs  of  unger.  On  cutting  into  the  little 
knobs,  masses  of  the  fibres  of  a  fungus  are  observed,  which  at 
last  make  their  way  to  the  surface,  and  there  either  fructify 
or  become  shrivelled  into  a  whitish  layer.  Sometimes  the 
fibres  of  this  fungus,  which  are  very  delicate  and  trans- 
parent, are  found  throughout  the  whole  mass  of  the  diseased 
tuber.  On  examining  these  fibres,  they  present  two  distinct 
forms,  the  one  being  probably  a  variety  of  the  other. 

I  am  not  aware  that  this  form  of  disease  has  prevailed  very 
extensively  in  this  country.  With  regard  to  the  cause  of  the 
disease  nothing  certain  is  known.  In  Germany  it  has  oc- 
curred in  all  soils  and  in  all  weathers.  It  has  occurred  to 
almost  all  sorts  of  potatoes,  and  after  all  modes  of  planting 
and  gathering ;  so  that  many  have  been  inclined  to  attribute 
it  to  the  influence  of  contagion ;  whilst  those  who  are  advo- 
cates of  the  doctrine  that  all  diseases  arise  from  the  sporules 
of  fungi,  will  at  once  conclude  that  the  influence  of  the  fungus 
in  this  disease  is  a  proof  that  it  originated  in  their  presence. 
For  the  prevention  of  this  rot  every  precaution  should  be 
taken  in  planting  them  to  secure  their  healthful  growth.  The 
conclusions  of  Von  Martius  are  as  follows :  The  newer  the 
variety  is,  the  better.  The  potatoes  intended  for  seed  should 
be  grown  separate  from  the  rest.  The  seed  potatoes  should 
not  be  kept  heaped  up  in  damp  cellars,  and  allowed  to  shoot 
before  they  are  planted,  and  they  should  never  be  cut  for 
sowing  before  they  are  brought  into  the  field. 


Diseases  of  the  Potatoe.  33 

I  conclude  this  part  of  my  subject,  by  extracting  the  fol- 
lowing article  by  Morrill  Allen,  an  intelligent,  practical  far- 
mer, of  Massachusetts.  The  extract  properly  belongs,  per- 
haps, to  Part  II,  of  this  work,  but  it  is  also  connected  with 
the  present  chapter.  He  says  :  "  There  have  been  sufficient 
indications  of  the  existence  of  disease,  and  advances,  to  justify 
some  general  attention  to  the  subject,  and  the  employment  of 
such  preventive,  or  remedial  means,  as  may  seem  to  cultiva- 
tors the  most  likely  to  prove  efficacious.  Until  the  causes  of 
the  malady  shall  be  more  satisfactorily  investigated,  no  rules 
can,  with  implicit  confidence,  be  given  for  the  treatment. 
The  farmers  must  do  as  physicians  are  sometimes  obliged  to 
do  in  cases  of  undefined  bodily  disease,  —  prescribe  to  the 
symptoms.  This  practice  is  attended  with  great  uncertainty, 
yet  the  results  of  it  in  experience  sometimes  prove  highly 
valuable.  The  different  causes  to  which  the  disease  in  pota- 
toes has  been  ascribed,  lead  writers  to  suggest  a  great  variety 
of  remedies  in  accordance  with  their  views  of  the  probable 
origin.  Let  farmers  select  and  apply  such  as  their  reason 
and  judgment  best  approve,  and  it  may  be  that  merely  prac- 
tical men  will,  in  the  course  of  their  experience,  clearly 
prove  what  theory  has  hitherto  failed  of  doing,  the  moving 
cause  of  the  difficulty.  If,  as  supposed  by  some,  it  be  of 
insect  origin,  then  salt  and  lime  would  seem  proper  applica- 
tions, and  these  are  also  strongly  recommended  by  persons 
who  think  that  fungus  is  the  producing  cause  of  the  disease. 
Those  who  suppose  it  arises  from  atmospheric  influence 
may  properly  apply  the  same  means  which  would  be  recom- 
mended by  those  who  believe  it  the  result  of  excessive 
growth.  Preparation  of  the  soil,  and  a  course  in  the  culti- 
vation likely  to  "produce  an  even  growth  is  unquestionably 
important  in  this  and  other  crops.  Some  persons  seem  con- 
fident that  the  rot  in  potatoes  results  wholly  from  deteriora- 
tion in  the  seed.  If  this  be  true  we  may  not  expect  to  avoid 


34  Diseases  of  the  Potatoe. 

the  evil  merely  by  sending  to  another  place  for  seed  potatoes ; 
we  should  renew  them  from  the  balls.  This  is  a  process 
requiring  some  patience,  but  we  know  of  no  easier  method  of 
entire  renovation.  We  suppose  renewal  can  be  approached 
in  successive  plantings  of  unmatured  potatoes.  These  have 
often  been  strongly  recommended  for  seed,  not  only  for  the 
purpose  of  avoiding  disease,  but  as  a  means  of  increasing  the 
crop.  It  is  manifestly  contrary  to  what  we  regard  as  a  gen- 
eral law  in  vegetation,  that  the  most  perfect  seed  produces 
the  healthiest  and  most  fruitful  plants.  There  are,  however, 
several  reasons  for  believing  that  the  potatoe  may  be  an  ex- 
ception to  the  general  law.  The  vegetative  principle  is  not 
so  concentrated  in  the  potatoe  as  in  most  other  articles.  It 
can  be  produced  from  the  balls,  the  bulbs,  or  from  sprouts 
which  hate  grown  in  the  cellar,  or  the  earth.  The  vegeta- 
tive principle  being  so  widely  diffused,  it  may  be  reasonable 
to  suppose,  that  the  perfect  ripening  of  the  potatoe  to  some 
extent  weakens  its  power  of  reproduction.  That  power  after 
the  complete  maturity  of  the  bulbs  may  be  more  perfectly 
concentrated  in  the  balls.  The  experiment  is  easily  made, 
and  it  is  hoped  that  many  fanners  will  this  year  plant  pota- 
toes for  the  next  year's  seeding  as  late  as  the  25th  of  June." 


CHAPTER     V. 

Various  Uses  to  which  Potatoes  are  applied. 

THE  most  important  application  of  potatoes  is  as  human 
food  ;  on  this  it  is  unnecessary  to  enlarge. 

Einhoff  found  mealy  potatoes  to  contain  twenty-four  per 
cent,  of  their  weight  of  nutritive  matter,  and  rye  seventy 
parts ;  consequently  sixty-four  and  a  half  measures  of  pota- 
toes afford  the  same  nourishment  as  twenty-four  measures  of 
rye.  A  thousand  parts  of  potatoes  yielded  to  Sir  Humphrey 
Davy  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  parts  of  nutritive  matter, 
of  which  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  to  two  hundred  were 
mucilage  or  starch,  fifteen  to  twenty  sugar,  and  thirty  to  forty 
gluten.  Now,  supposing  an  acre  of  potatoes  to  weigh  nine 
tons,  and  an  acre  of  wheat  to  weigh  one  ton,  which  is  about 
the  usual  proportion,  then,  as  one  thousand  parts  of  wheat 
afford  nine  hundred  and  fifty  nutriiive  parts,  and  one  thou- 
sand of  potatoes  say  two  hundred  and  thirty,  the  quantity  of 
nutritive  matter  afforded  by  an  acre  of  wheat  and  potatoes 
will  be  nearly  as  nine  to  four ;  so  that  an  acre  of  potatoes 
will  supply  more  than  double  the  quantity  of  human  food 
afforded  by  an  acre  of  wheat.  The  potatoe  is,  perhaps,  the 
only  root  grown,  which  may  be  eaten  every  day  in  the  year 
without  satiating  the  palate.  They  are  therefore  the  only 
substitute  that  can  be  used  for  bread,  with  any  degree  of  suc- 
cess. In  the  answer  by  Dr.  Tissot  to  M.  Linquet,  the  for- 


36  Uses  of  the  Potatoe. 

mer  objects  to  the  constant  use  of  potatoes  for  food,  not 
because  they  are  pernicious  to  the  body,  but  because  they 
hurt  the  faculties  of  the  mind.  He  owns  that  those  who  eat 
maize,  potatoes,  or  even  millet,  may  grow  tall  and  acquire  a 
large  size.  It  does  not,  however,  by  any  means  appear,  that 
the  general  use  of  potatoes  has  impaired  either  the  health  of 
body  or  vigor  of  mind  of  its  inhabitants. 

The  manufacture  of  potatoe  flour  is  carried  on,  to  a  consid- 
erable extent,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Paris,  and  the  flour  is 
sold  at  a  price  considerably  higher  than  that  of  wheat,  for  the 
use  of  confectioners,  and  of  bakers  who  supply  the  finer  kinds 
of  bread.  The  potatoes  are  washed  and  grated,  and  the 
starch  separated  from  the  pulp  so  attained  by  nitration ;  it  is 
dried  on  shelves,  in  a  room  heated  by  a  flue,  and  afterwards 
broken  on  a  floor,  by  passing  a  cast  iron  roller  over  it.  It  is 
then  passed  into  a  bolting  machine  and  put  into  sacks  for 
sale.  It  is  reported  by  Count  de  Chatrol,  in  his  statistical 
account  of  Paris,  that  forty  thousand  tons  of  potatoes  are  an- 
nually manufactured  into  flour  within  a  circle  of  eight  leagues 
around  the  city. 

The  quantity  of  farina  which  potatoes  produce  varies  not 
only  according  to  tjie  species,  but  according  to  the  period 
when  the  extraction  takes  place.  The  variations  produced 
by  this  last  cause  are  nearly  as  follows :  — 

Two  hundred  and  forty  pounds  of  potatoes,  produced  of 
farina,  or  potatoe  flour,  in 

August,  from  23  to  25  pounds. 


Sept., 

32  "  38 

October,    " 

32  "  40 

Nov.,         " 

38  «  45 

March,      " 

45  «  38 

April,         " 

38  "  28 

May, 

28  «  20 

The  extraction  of  the  farina  should  be  discontinued  at 


Uses  of  the  Potatoe.  37 

period  when  the  potatoes  begin  to  grow,  the  farina  being  de- 
stroyed by  germination.  lied  potatoes  produce  a  smaller 
quantity  of  farina.  Those  which  are  blue  on  the  outside  give 
little,  but  it  is  of  good  quality ;  the  white,  which  is  often  ting- 
ed with  red  in  the  interior,  is  the  least  proper  for  this  extrac- 
tion. The  best  of  all  are  those  which  have  a  yellow  tint,  as 
the  farina  is  of  very  good  quality  and  abundant. 

The  meal  of  potatoes  may  be  preserved  for  years,  closely- 
packed  in  barrels,  or  unground  in  the  form  of  slices,  these 
slices  having  been  previously  dried  by  steam.  Some  German 
philosophers  have  proposed  to  freeze  the  potatoes,  by  which  the 
feculent  matter  is  separated  from  the  starch,  and  the  latter 
being  then  dried  and  compressed,  may  be  preserved  for  any 
length  of  time,  or  exported  with  safety  any  distance. 

Tl*e  manufacture  of  tapioca  from  potatoes  is  thus  given  in  the 
Quarterly  Journal  of  Agriculture.  The  potatoes  selected  are 
thoroughly  washed,  afterwards  they  are  grated  in  a  machine 
constructed  for  the  purpose.  The  parts  thus  reduced  or  grat- 
ed fall  into*  a  vessel  placed  underneath.  From  this  vessel 
they  are  removed,  and  strained  into  a  tub.  On  the  juice 
being  well  expressed  for  the  first  time,  the  fibrous  matter  is 
set  apart,  and  cold  clean  water  is  thrown  over  them.  The 
fibres  are  again  put  through  the  same  strainer,  till  the  whole 
of  the  substance  is  collected,  when  they  are  finally  cast  aside. 
On  this  being  done,  the  contents  of  the  tub,  now  in  a  state  of 
mucilage  or  starch,  are  allowed  to  settle.  A  reasonable  ~in- 
terval  being  suffered  to  elapse,  the  old  water  is  poured  gently 
off,  and  fresh  water  supplied.  After  this  process  of  washing 
the  bleached  matter  is  passed  through  a  smaller  strainer. 

The  offals  are  separated ;  the  starch  now  becomes  much 
whiter ;  but  still  fresh  water  is  abundantly  dashed  over  it 
When  by  frequent  ablution  the  surface  of  this  mass  is  ren- 
dered quite  smooth  and  clear,  it  is  filtrated  a  third  and  last 
time. 

4 


38  Uses  of  the  Potatoe. 

The  strainer  now  used  is  of  very  fine  texture,  so  that  no 
improper  or  accidental  admixture  may  interfere.  As  soon  as 
the  starch  thus  purified,  has  firmly  subsided,  it  is  spread  on  a 
board,  and  exposed  to  the  open  air.  The  damp  speedily 
evaporates,  on  which  it  is,  as  a  security  for  cleanliness,  put 
through  a  sieve. 

A  large  circular  pan  is  now  procured,  and  set  upon  the  fire. 
The  farina  is  gradually  put  into  the  pan,  till  what  is  conceiv- 
ed to  be  sufficient  for  one  cooking  has  been  supplied.  As 
the  natural  tendency  of  the  farina,  in  a  warm  state,  is  to  ad- 
here to  the  pan,  great  care  is  requisite  in  constantly  turning 
and  stirring  it.  This  is  effectually  done  with  a  broad  flat 
piece  of  wood,  having  a  long  handle  to  prevent  inconvenience 
from  the  heat.  A  temperature  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  de- 
grees, Fahrenheit,  suits  best  for  perfecting  the  tapioca.  ^  When 
the  farina  becomes  quite  hard,  dry  and  gritty,  it  is  then  ready, 
and  may  be  taken  off  the  fire. —  Quarterly  Journal  of  Agri- 
culture, Vol.  II.,  p.  G8. 

Potash  may  be  extracted  from  potatoe  leaves  'and  stalks, 
by  the  following  process :  —  Cut  off  the  stalks  when  the 
flowers  begin  to  fall,  as  that  is  the  period  of  their  greatest 
vigor,;  leave  them  on  the  ground  eight  or  ten  days  to  dry ; 
cart  them  to  a  hole  dug  in  the  earth,  about  five  feet  square  by 
two  feet  deep,  and  then  burn  them,  keeping  the  ashes  red-hot 
as  long  as  possible.  Afterwards  take  out  the  ashes,  pour 
boiling  water  on  them,  and  then  evaporate  the  water.  There 
remains,  after  the  evaporation,  a  dry  saline  reddish  substance, 
known  in  commerce  under  the  name  of  salin  ;  the  more  the 
ashes  are  boiled,  the  greyer  and  more  valuable  the  salin  be- 
comes. The  salin  must  be  calcined  in  a  very  hot  oven,  until 
the  whole  mass  presents  a  uniform  reddish  brown.  In  cool- 
ing it  remains  dry,  and  in  fragments  bluish  within,  and  white 
on  the  surface,  in  which  state  it  takes  the  name  of  potash.  — 
Smith's  Mechanic,  Vol.  IL,p.  381. 


Uses  of  the  Potatoe.  39 

Among  extraordinary  applications  of  the  potatoe,  may  be 
mentioned  cleaning  woollens,  and  making  wine  and  ardent 
spirits. 

Cleaning  Woollens.  —  The  refuse  of  the  potatoes  used  in 
making  starch,  when  taken  from  the  sieve,  possesses  the  prop- 
erty of  cleansing  woollen  cloths,  without  injuring  their  color ; 
and  the  water  decanted  from  the  starch  powder  is  excellent 
for  cleansing  silks,  without  the  slightest  injury  to  the  color. 

Wine  and  ardent  spirits  of  a  good  quality  are  made  from 
potatoes.  Under  the  influence  of  certain  chemical  agents, 
which  it  is  not  my  province  here  to  speak  of  particularly, 
starch  is  converted  into  sugar,  and  this  sugar,  by  fermenta- 
tion, yields  spirits.  On  the  European  continent  potatoe 
spirit  is  almost  universally  used ;  and  in  flavor  it  so  resem- 
bles brandy  that  it  is  well  known  that  a  large  quantity  of  the 
French  brandy  brought  into  London,  is  potatoe  spirit  from 
Hamburg,  colored  with  burned  sugar. 

On  converting  potatoes  into  flour,  Mr.  Abiel  Abbott,  of 
Sidney,  Me.,  thus  writes  to  the  Kennebec  Journal :  — 

"  After  much  study  and  many  experiments,  I  have  made  a 
discovery  which  I  think  will,  with  that  encouragement  it 
merits,  be  of  great  importance  to  the  people  of  this  state  and 
all  others  similarly  situated. 

"  In  1832  I  was  strongly  impressed  that  flour  might  be  ob- 
tained from  the  potatoe ;  accordingly  I  ventured  an  experi- 
ment, the  result  of  which  was,  eight  pounds  of  flour  from  the 
bushel.  I  then  suspended  my  experiments  until  the  winter 
of  1844,  when  I  resumed  them,  and  found  the  result  to  be  the 
same  as  1832,  that  is,  eight  pounds  of  fine  flour  from  ^h« 
bushel.  Owing  to  a  deficiency  of  gluten  good  bread  cannot 
be  made  from  it  alone,  but  when  mixed  with  equal  parts  of 
wheaten  flour,  the  bread  made  from  it  is  much  better  than 
that  which  is  made  from  all  wheaten  flour,  —  that  is,  in  the 
estimation  of  those  who  have  eaten  the  bread. 


40  Uses  of  the  Potatoe. 

"  Two  hundred  bushels  of  potatoes  to  the  acre,  is  called  by 
the  farmers  an  average  crop  in  Maine,  yielding,  according  to 
the  foregoing  experiments,  about  eight  barrels  of  flour  to  the 
acre." 

The  following  article,  extracted  from  the  last  number  of  the 
Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,  will  be  found  in- 
teresting in  this  connection  :  — 

"  In  Germany,  a  method  has  lately  been  introduced,  of 
making  flour  from  potatoes,  which  has  not,  I  believe,  been 
tried  in  this  country,  but  which  is  recommended  as  giving 
a  better,  a  more  palatable,  and  a  more  abundant  article  of 
nourishment  than  the  common  process  of  preparing  potatoe 
starch.  This  method  consists  in  washing  the  potatoes,  cut- 
ting them  into  slices,  as  we  do  turnips,  steeping  these  slices 
for  twenty-four  hours  in  water  containing  one  per  cent,  of 
sulphuric  acid,  (oil  of  vitriol)  drawing  off  the  acid  water, 
washing  them  several  times  with  pure  water,  drying  them  in 
a  stove,  and  then  grinding  them  in  a  common  corn-mill.  The 
flour  thus  obtained  is  pure  white,  and  the  refuse  siftings  or 
bran,  seldom  exceed  five  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  dried 
potatoes.  The  sulphuric  acid  in  this  process  extracts  the 
coloring  matter  of  the  potatoe,  with  certain  other  substances 
which  would  give  the  flour  an  unpleasant  taste.  This  flour 
will  not  make  good  bread  if  used  alone.  It  requires  to  be 
mixed  with  from  one-half  to  one-third  of  wheaten  flour." 

But  the  following  is  the  most  interesting  piece  of  informa- 
tion that  we  have  met  with  on  this  subject.  It  refers  to  the 
most  economical  method  of  using  the  potatoe  crop  as  food  for 
cattle :  — 

"  As  I  have  said  so  much  on  the  subject  of  potatoes,  I  may 
as  well  describe  to  you  a  method  which  has  lately  been  re- 
commended in  Denmark  and  Norway,  for  making  the  potatoe 
more  available  and  more  profitable  in  feeding  cattle  than  it 
has  ever  hitherto  been.  You  are  probably  aware  that  potatoe 


Uses  of  the  Potatoe.  41 

starch  can  be  readily  converted  into  grape  sugar,  and  that 
the  syrup  obtained  from  it  is  largely  employed  for  the  manu- 
facture of  brandy  in  the  north  of  Europe,  and  even  of  the 
best  brandy  which  comes  from  France.  In  the  more  north- 
ern of  the  French  wine-growing  provinces  it  is  also  mixed 
with  the  less  sweet  varieties  of  grape  juice,  so  as  to  give  an 
additional  strength  and  richness  to  the  wine.  One  of  the 
methods  by  which  the  potatoe  starch  is  converted  into  grape 
sugar,  is  to  mix  it  with  one  tenth  of  its  weight  of  ground  malt 
diffused  in  water,  and  to  keep  the  mixture  for  some  hours  at 
a  moderate  temperature.  The  starch  dissolves,  and  the  liquid 
becomes  sweet  from  its  conversion  into  grape  sugar.  This 
is  the  method  which  M.  Bb'ggild,  of  Copenhagen,  proposes 
to  apply  to  the  whole  potatoe,  in  order  to  bring  it  into 
a  soluble  state,  to  make  it  more  easy  of  digestion,  and  thus  to 
increase  its  feeding  properties.  He  washes  his  potatoes  well, 
steams  them  thoroughly,  and  then,  without  'allowing  them  to 
cool,  he  cuts  them  in  a  cylinder  furnished  internally  with 
revolving  knives,  or  crushes  them  in  a  mill,  and  mixes  them 
with  a  small  quantity  of  water  and  three  pounds  of  ground 
malt  to  every  one  hundred  pounds  of  the  raw  potatoes.  This 
mixture  is  kept  in  motion,  and  at  a  temperature  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  degrees  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  degrees 
Fahrenheit,  for  from  one  to  five  hours,  when  the  thick  gruel 
has  acquired  a  sweet  taste  and  is  ready  for  use.  Given  in 
this  state,  the  results  of  experimental  trials  are  said  to  be  — 

"1.  That  it  is  a  richer  and  better  food  for  milk  cows  than 
twice  the  quantity  of  potatoes  in  a  raw  state. 

"  2.  That  it  is  excellent  for  fattening  cattle  and  sheep,  and 
for  winter  food :  that  it  goes  much  farther  than  potatoes  when 
merely  steamed ;  and  that  it  may  be  economically  mixed  up 
with  chopped  hay  and  straw. 

"  I  have  before  me  a  pamphlet,  published  at  Christiania,  by 
the  Royal  Society  for  Promoting  the  Improvement  of  Nor- 
4* 


42  Uses  of  the  Potatoe. 

•  1 . 

way,  in  which  this  method  is  strongly  recommended ;  also  a 
letter  from  Copenhagen,  dated  29th  April,  1845,  in  which 
my  correspondent  writes  as  follows  :  — '  This  invention  has 
been  more  and  more  appreciated  and  applied  in  my  native 
country  (Norway)  and  in  Denmark,  and  the  great  advanta- 
ges with  which  stall-feeding  may  be  introduced,  at  considera- 
bly less  expense  than  formerly,  render  it  suited  to  general 
promulgation.'  — f  The  method  has  more  and  more  gained v 
adherents,  and  further  comparative  experiments,  made  by 
scientific  and  experienced  persons,  have  proved  its  superiority. 
Thus  one  of  these  experiments  establishes  that  an  increase  of 
one  and  a  half  pounds  of  flesh  is  obtained  from  twenty-five 
pounds  of  potatoes  —  that  the  feeding  of  horses  with  this 
mash  is  found  to  be  applicable  and  cheap,  and  they  all  con- 
firm that  potatoes  used  in  this  manner  as  food  amply  afford 
double  the  nutritive  powers  compared  with  the  food  formerly 
used.'  I  cannot  here  state  my  reasons  for  believing  that 
there  is  really  something  worthy  of  attention  in  the  alleged 
superior  feeding  qualities  of  the  potatoe  given  in  this  state  ; 
but  I  can  strongly  recommend  you  to  make  experiments  upon 
this  subject.  If  the  potatoe  can  in  this  way  be  converted  into 
a  larger  quantity  of  beef,  mutton,  or  pork,  than  hitherto,  an- 
other outlet  will  be  provided  for  the  potatoe  crop,  which  may, 
perhaps,  prove  more  profitable  even  than  the  manufacture  of 
it  into  flour." 


PART    II. 

THE  POTATOE  PLAGUE. 

Preliminary  Remarks. 

IN  the  preceding  pages  I  have  collected  important  informa- 
tion on  the  history,  cultivation,  diseases  and  uses  of  the  pota- 
toe.  I  commend  that  part  of  the  book  to  the  candid  attention 
of  the  farming  community,  as  it  contains  much  that  is  new. 
The  views  of  M.  Thaer,  especially,  now  for  the  first  time 
republished  to  American  readers,  will  claim  their  attention  as 
being  the  mature  experience  of  a  distinguished  cultivator, 
after  years  of  observation  into  the  nature  of  the  tuber  and 
the  best  modes  of  managing  it. 

I  now  approach  the  great  subject  of  this  treatise  with  un- 
feigned diffidence.  I  would,  in  the  outset,  deprecate  criticism, 
by  the  confession,  that  the  material  portions  of  information 
contained  in  these  pages  are  not  from  my  own  knowledge,  or 
the  result  of  my  individual  experience.  The  work  is  com- 
posed of  better  materials  than  any  one  farmer  or  scientific 
cultivator  could  possibly  furnish,  were  he  even  the  most  pro- 
found and  practical  in  the  land.  It  is  a  condensation  of  the 
opinions  of  farmers  and  scientific  men  from  every  part  of  this 
country  and  Europe,  respecting  every  variety  of  the  potatoe, 


44  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

grown  under  every  variety  of  treatment,  soil,  and  tempera- 
ture, and  under  every  possible  change  or  variation  that  can 
be  supposed  with  reference  to  it. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  over-rate  the  importance  of  an 
inquiry  like  the  one  we  are  about  to  make.  Its  influence  upon 
the  prosperity  and  wealth  of  nations  may  be  gathered  from 
the  fact  that  the  potatoe  crop  of  the  United  States  alone  is 
estimated  at  ninety-nine  millions  nine  hundred  and  forty -three 
thousand  bushels  annually,  and  in  New  England  it  is  thus 
stated  by  Mr.  Ellsworth,  in  his  report  to  Congress,  in  Janua- 
ry, 1845. 

•      Maine,     -  12,304,000  bushels. 

New  Hampshire,  -       4,643,000       " 
Massachusetts,  4,050,000       " 

Rhode  Island,       -  812,000       " 

Connecticut,     -  2,117,000       « 

Vermont,     -  6,158,000       " 


30,084,000       « 

Thus  it  will  be  seen,  that  the  crop  in  New  England,  at  a 
low  estimation,  is  worth  ten  millions  dollars  annually,  and  the 
EOT  threatens,  if  not  the  total  desertion  of  this  large  source 
•of  productive  wealth,  at  least  a  very  great  diminution  of  the 
profits  of  the  fanner,  and  a  decrease  much  to  be  dreaded  in 
the  supplies  of  the  most  healthful,  as  it  is  the  most  universal, 
article  of  food  for  human  consumption. 

It  was  hoped  in  1844,  that  the  disease  had  reached  its  cul- 
minating point,  and  that  the  year  1845  would  witness  a  great 
falling  off  in  its  destroying  effects,  and  that,  like  the  Asiatic 
Cholera,  and  other  similar  diseases  affecting  the  human  con- 
stitution, it  would  disappear  and  be  heard  of  no  more. 

This  very  desirable  consummation,  however,  was  not 
realized.  The  rot  has  prevailed  more  extensively  this  year 
than  ever  before,  and  not  only  throughout  the  wide  extent  of 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  45 

our  own  country  are  the  complaints  of  entire  failure  or  partial 
destruction  heard,  .but  the  voice  of  lamentation  and  the  fear 
of  famine  come  to  us  with  a  foreboding  moan  from  the  British 
isles,  and  some  of  the  countries  of  continental  Europe.  The 
rot  this  year  has  been  universal  in  its  effects,  and  the  exi- 
gency has  called  forth  particular  and  anxious  inquiries  into 
the  nature  t>f  the  disease,  accounts  of  which,  and  the  re- 
sults arrived  at,  are  subjoined. 

It  would,  perhaps,  be  difficult  to  name  a  subject  on  which 
more  has  been  written,  or  which  has  engaged  the  attention  of 
more  able  men  than  the  prevalent  potatoe  blight,  rot,  or  by 
whatever  name  it  may  be  called.  The  plague  and  the  yellow 
fever  have  not  been  more  anxiously  discussed ;  nor  can  it  be 
denied  that  the  subject  is  of  almost  equal  importance.  A 
calamity  that  involves  the  destruction  of  a  great  portion  of 
the  food  and  labor  of  the  civilized  world,,  and  reduces  millions 
of  fellow-creatures  to  literal  starvation,  cannot  be  too  dili- 
gently studied ;  if,  happily,  thereby,  the  evil  may  be  averted, 
checked,  or  in  any  considerable  degree  lessened.  It  is  esti- 
mated by  those  more  competent  to  form  an  estimate  than  I 
can  pretend  to  be,  that-three  fourths,  at  least,  of  the  potatoe 
crop  of  all  Ireland  will  have  been  lost  the  present  season. 
Supposing  that  the  potatoe  is  the  principal  food  of  only  four 
of  the  millions  of  that  wretched  country,  what  an  amount  of 
human  suffering  does  the  prospect  present. 

I  find,  by  a  careful  comparison  of  much  that  has  been  writ- 
ten on  this  interesting  topic,  that  most  of  those  who  have 
made  it  a  subject  of  inquiry,  have  fallen  into  the  common 
error  of  generalizing  too  much,  of  deducing  the  rule  from  the 
particular  instance,  instead  of  tracing  wherein  the  instance 
has  coincided  with,  or  deviated  from,  the  rule.  Now,  there 
are  countless  varieties  of  the  potatoe,  and  to  suppose  that  the 
treatment  which  has  succeeded  with  one,  or  two,  or  a  dozen 
of  these,  is  the  one  only  means  to  be  used  with  regard  to  the 


46  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

whole  family,  however  plausible  or  natural  such  deduction 
may  be,  is  certainly  not  the  way  in  which  scientific  knowledge 
has  been  brought  to  its  present  degree  of  perfection.  Be- 
cause a  certain  mode  of  treatment  has  proved  beneficial  to  a 
lymphatic  inhabitant  of  the  arctic  circle,  in  a  particular  dis- 
ease, does  it  follow  that  the  same  mode  would  produce  the 
same  result  on  a  sanguine  or  bilious  temperament  between  the 
tropics  ?  Does  it  follow  that  the  same  laws  and  government 
to  which  New  England  quietly  submits  would  be  fitting  for 
the  island  of  Hayti,  or  one  of  the  pseudo  South  American 
Republics  ?  Yet  this  is  the  process  of  reasoning  and  induc- 
tion that  has  been  applied  almost  universally  to  the  culture  of 
the  potatoe. 

One  writer  has  tried  one  or  two  varieties  of  the  root  in 
certain  soils  and  situations ;  he  has  applied  certain  manures 
and  a  particular  treatment  of  his  own,  and  he  therefore 
argues  that  what  has  succeeded  or  failed  with  his  variety  will 
be  equally  successful  or  otherwise,  with  the  whole  potatoe 
family.  This  is,  to  the  multitude,  very  plausible  and  com- 
fortable doctrine ;  they  adopt  it,  and  suffer,  because  they 
have  not  discovered  that  the  coat  that  fits  a  tall,  thin  man, 
will  not  fit  a  short,  thick  one,  of  equal  weight. 

"We  sometimes  find,  in  investigating  the  reports  of  scientific 
men,  that  the  same  variety,  planted  and  dug  at  the  same 
season,  from  the  same  soil,  and  having  received  the  same 
treatment,  in  short,  as  far  as  human  sagacity  can  discern, 
having  had  precisely  the  same  advantages  and  disadvantages, 
has  shown  very  different  results.  In  one  field,  the  crop  is 
healthy  and  abundant ;  in  another,  it  is  scant,  defective  and 
diseased.  The  reader  will  find  many  instances  of  this  kind 
by  referring  to  the  -report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Patents  to 
the  twenty-eighth  Congress.  What,  then,  is  the  inference  ? 
Clearly  that  the  disease  is  owing  to  some  cause  independent 
of  culture,  or  soil,  or  weather,  or  atmospheric  influence ;  that, 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  47 

I  think,  must  be  plain  to  every  capacity.  Neither  is  the  det- 
riment likely  to  have  arisen  from  the  presence  of  fungi,  infu- 
sorii,  or  insects,  where  nothing  of  the  kind  has  been  discover- 
ed by  the  most  vigilant  observation.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  me 
a  death  blow  to  either  of  these  theories,  that,  in  very  many 
instances,  the  disease  has  broken  out  after  the  roots  were 
dug,  apparently  in  a  sound  and  healthy  condition,  as  well  as 
the  stalks.  One  cause  remains ;  an  obvious,  if  not  the  only 
one  —  the  difference  in  the  quality  of  the  seed  planted,  of 
which  I  shall  have  more  to  say  in  another  place. 

It  appears  to  me  that  there  are  many  causes  to  which  the 
failure  of  the  potatoe  crop  the  world  over,  may  be  attributed, 
without  supposing  any  specific  disease,  epidemic,  or  malig- 
nant influence  whatever.  The  blight  assumes  different  ap- 
pearances in  different  climates  and  regions.  In  some  parts 
of  Germany,  the  diseased  potatoe  becomes  hard,  like  a  stone, 
so  that  it  requires  considerable  force  to  break  it  with  a  ham- 
mer ;  in  other  parts  it  has  been  observed  to  turn  fibrous  and 
woody,  or  withered,  or  watery,  or  to  turn  into  liquid  putre- 
faction. Can  it  be  that  all  these  appearances  are  but  differ- 
ent forms  of  one  and  the  same  disease  ? 

Every  one  who  knows  what  a  potatoe  is,  knows  that  all 
kinds  of  potatoes  do  not  bear  the  action  of  boiling  water  alike. 
One  kind  Comes  from  the  kettle  watery  or  waxy,  another 
mealy  ;  one  requires  twice  as  much  time  in  cooking  as  anoth- 
er. Those  who  eat  know .  not  the  cause ;  but-  they  know  that 
it  is  so.  They  are  satisfied  to  say  that  it  is  a  good  or  a  bad 
potatoe,  and  to  eat  or  fling  it  away ;  and  they  often  come  as 
nigh  the  fact  without  investigation  as  they  could  have  done 
with  it.  The  truth  is,  that  it  is  not  owing  to  culture,  soil,  or 
disease,  that  the  fruit  so  turns  out ;  it  is  the  nature  of  one 
variety  of  potatoe  to  be  watery,  and  another  to  be  mealy ; 
and  we  could  not  make  it  otherwise  were  we  to  study  a  thou- 
sand years. 


48  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

I  have  said  that  many  theories  have  been  broached  in 
regard  to  the  supposed  potatoe  epidemic.  Most  of  them  are 
entitled  to  respect,  as  the  results  of  the  laborious  investiga- 
tions of  ingenious,  learned,  or  practical  men ;  and  I  shall 
therefore  briefly  notice  a  few  of  them,  with  such  comments 
as  they  appear  to  me  to  require. 

The  first  of  these  theories  attributes  the  rot  to  too  early  or 
too  late  planting  and  digging.  There  is  no  doubt,  in  niy 
mind,  that  either  of  these  causes  will  injuriously  affect  a  crop ; 
the  failure  on  a  field,  or  a  farm,  may  justly  be  referred  to 
either  or  both  of  them.  It  needs  no  ghost  to  tell  me  that 
green  fruit  is  unwholesome,  or  that,  if  allowed  to  hang  too 
long  on  the  tree,  it  will  rot ;  but  these  causes  are  altogether 
insufficient  to  account  for  a  decay  extending  over  all  Christen- 
dom, of  many  years  duration,  and  of  continually  increasing 
progress.  It  cannot  be  that  all,  or  even  a  great  portion  of 
those  interested  in  the  cultivation  of  the  potatoe  throughout 
the  world,  plant  too  late  or  too  early,  or  fail  to  gather  and 
store  the  harvest  in  its  season.  This  theory  will  do,  there- 
fore, for  a  district,  but  not  for  the  whole  temperate  zone. 

The  same  reasoning  will  hold  good  of  the  effects  of  soils, 
manures,  and  seasons.  These  have  their  influences;  they 
are  partial  and  local ;  but  any  considerable  and  general  fail- 
ure may  be  prevented  by  care.  It  is  hardly  credible  that 
they,  or  any  of  them,  should,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  exert 
the  same  baleful  influence,  every  where.  Besides,  if  this 
were  the  case,  would  this  influence  be  confined  to  the  potatoe 
alone,  of  all  the  vegetable  kingdom  ?  Do  we  hear  of  any 
epidemic  or  general  disease  of  any  other  vegetable  ?  "We  do, 
indeed,  hear,  now  and  then,  of  a  failure  of  the  beet  crop,  or 
the  crop  of  apples,  here  and  there  ;  but  the  next  year  makes 
all  right  again,  and  if  fruit  fails  in  New  England,  we  get  it 
from  New  York  and  Jersey.  The  world  is  not  an  Egypt, 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  49 

where  the  entire  vegetation  may  be  destroyed  by  too  wet  or 
too  dry  a  season. 

These  attempts  to  trace  a  general  effect  to  partial  causes 
appear  to  me  very  like  the  deductions  drawn  from  the  pre- 
tended rules  of  phrenology.  I  examine  a  stranger's  head,  and 
find  the  bump  of  destructiveness,  for  example,  fearfully  prom- 
inent. I  therefore  pronounce  him  a  dangerous  person  ;  but, 
on  inquiry,  I  learn  that  he  is  a  man  of  remarkably  benign 
and  quiet  temperament.  "That,"  says  the  phrenological  the- 
orist, "  is  because  his  organs  of  benevolence  and  reverence- 
are  equally  developed,  and  neutralize  his  destructiveness." 
What  practical  use  can  be  cut  out  of  a  science  that  defines  no- 
limits  or  proportions  ? 

In  like  manner,  "  one  intelligent  farmer  (we  quote  from 
the  report  above  mentioned,)  on  his  own  farm,  where  the  soil 
was  porous,  lost  none  of  a  crop  yielding  two  thousand  bushels  ; 
while  of  a  field  he  purchased  on  a  neighboring  farm,  where- 
the  soil  was  clayey,  and  retained  much  water,  he  lost  the 
greater  part  of  the  crop."  Hence  he  argues  that  the  soil  and 
season  together  caused  the  injury,  and  so,  undoubtedly  they 
did  ;  but,  supposing  there  had  been  a  drouth,  the  seed  plant- 
ed in  clay  must  have  fared  best.  No  general  rule  can  be 
deduced  from  any  such  success  or  failure.  From  this  and  the 
concurrences  of  many  other  like  instances,  however,  I  draw 
the  inference  that  a  light  soil  is  more  congenial  to  the  potatoe 
family,  generally,  than  a  heavy  one. 

Another  set  of  theorists  attribute  the  potatoe  disease  ta 
flies,  or  other  insects.  These,  however,  as  far  as  satisfacto- 
rily observed,  appear  to  be  no  other  than  have  been  always 
found  upon  the  potatoe,  without  producing  any  injurious 
effects.  They  are  the  common  aphis  or  vegetable  louse,  and 
flies  which  confine  their  ravages  to  the  leaves.  It  might  be 
argued  in  favor,  or  rather  in  disfavor  of  these  parasites,  thaty 
by  injuring  the  leaves,  they  deprive  the  tuber  of  its  proper 
5 


50  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

nourishment ;  but  this  will  not  at  all  account  for  the  decay  of 
roots  dug  in  an  apparently  healthy  state,  after  being  stored. 
Again,  we  have  a  goodly  array  of  proofs  that  insects  of  dif- 
ferent kinds  are  found  in  the  diseased  potatoe,  both  in  the 
tops  and  the  tubers ;  but  it  is  by  no  means  sure  that  they  are 
the  cause  of  the  disease ;  on  the  contrary  it  seems  highly 
probable  that  they  are  generated  by  it.  This  theory  has, 
comparatively,  few  supporters,  and  does  not  seem  to  be  con- 
sidered entitled  to  much  consideration  by  the  learned  in  such 
matters. 

A  third  theory,  of  which  Doctor  Hitchcock,  of  Amherst,  is 
the  most  prominent  supporter,  attributes  the  universal  sick- 
ness of  the  potatoe  to  "  atmospheric  agency,  too  subtle  for  the 
cognizance  ,of  our  senses,  like  those  which  bring  such  epi- 
demics as  the  influenza  and  the  cholera  over  particular  dis- 
tricts or  continents  ?  Modern  science,"  he  adds,  "  has  shown 
us  that  many  of  the  most  powerful  agencies  of  nature  are 
concealed  from  common  and  even  acute  observation.  May 
there  not  be  others,  yet  undiscovered,  which  deeply  affect  the 
delicate  machinery  of  organic  life  ?  " 

Aye,  truly  may  there ;  and  there  may  be  a  sixth  sense, 
and  a  measure  to  infinity,  and  a  limit  to  time  and  eternity. 
It  is  much  easier  to  ask  than  to  answer  questions,  and,  when 
they  relate  to  things  confessedly  beyond  or  above  human 
intelligence,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  ask  them.  There 
may,  nay,  there  must  be  a  cause  for  the  yellow  fever,  and  the 
cholera,  and  the  potatoe  plague  ;  but  if  it  is  not  within  the 
capacity  of  the  senses,  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  grope  for 
it.  I  do  not  mean  to  undervalue  inquiry,  of  any  kind ;  but 
it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  time  enough  to  seek  the  transcenden- 
tal causes  of  an  effect,  when  the  visible,  tangible,  and  palpable 
ones  have  been  thoroughly  examined.  It  is  not  proved,  — 
there  is  no  evidence  beyond  conjecture,  that  yellow  fever  or 
cholera  is  dependent  or  consequent  on  atmospheric  agency ; 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  51 

neither  do  I  see  any  reason  even  to  guess  such  a  cause  of  the 
potatoe  plague. 

A  great  number  of  experimentalists  contend  that  the  pota- 
toe rot  is  attributable  to  the  fermentation  of  animal  manure, 
and  it  strikes  me,  forcibly,  that  the  rapid,  malignant  rot  of  a 
great  proportion  of  the  lost  crops,  may  justly  be  attributed 
to  this  cause.  More  instances  where  the  result  of  this  mode 
of  treatment  has  proved  fatal  to  the  plant  are  adduced  than 
of  any  other.  I  cannot  altogether  withhold  credence  from 
such  a  mass  of  concurrent  testimony.  Wherever  potatoes 
have  been  manured  with  animal  matter,  and  especially  barn- 
yard manure,  in  the  hill,  and  when  they  have  been  planted 
before  such  compost  has  been  allowed  to  disintegrate  and  as- 
similate with  the  soil,  the  rot  seems  to  have  been  the  invaria- 
ble consequence.  On  the  other  hand,  it  appears  that  the 
disease  seldom  appears  on  virgin  soil,  or  newly  broken  sward 
land.  I  the  more  incline  to  the  belief  that  this  theory  is  more 
extensively  corroborated  in  practice  than  any  -of  those  I  have 
thus  far  noticed,  from  the  fact  that,  of  the  potatoes  treated 
with  animal  manure,  those  which  lie  nigh  the  outside  of  the 
hill  are  found  best  and  soundest,  while  those  in  the  centre, 
among  the  mahure,  are  most  specked  and  rotten. 

It  is  not  conclusive,  however,  that  the  disease  can  be  stop- 
ped by  planting  on  new  or  sward  land,  inasmuch  as  potatoes 
dug  from  such  land  sound,  have  often  been  found  to  rot  after 
storing,  so  as  to  have  been  entirely  lost  before  spring.  Neith- 
er does  this  solution  of  the  mystery  suffice,  even  partially,  to 
account  for  the  extent  of  the  injury  in  other  countries ;  for 
we  do  not  know  how  potatoes  are  manured  there,  or  whether 
they  are  manured  at  all.  All  that  can  be  predicated  on  the 
evidence  before  us  is,  that  manuring  with  new  animal  matter 
is  calculated  to  cause  loss  and  injury. 

There  is  yet  another  theory  that  I  feel  bound  to  notice  in 
this  connection,  inasmuch  as  it  is  advanced  by  a  very  intelli- 
gent gentleman,  (Mr.  Teschemacher,  of  Boston,)  as  the  result 


62  The  Potatoe  Plagiie. 

of  a  series  of  scientific  experiments  made  by  him.  He  hag 
detected  in  the  potatoe  the  growth  of  a  fungus  analogous  to 
the  mushroom  family.  It  is  usually  seen  as  a  green  mould, 
and  is  often  found  in  the  cores  of  apples  and  the  interior  of 
nutshells.  The  seeds  are  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  easily 
carried  about  by  the  wind,  and  penetrate  wherever  the  air 
can  enter.  Their  extensive  dissemination  is,  therefore,  easy. 
"When  they  fall  on  the  potatoe,  in  circumstances  favorable  to 
germination,  the  blight,  or  decay,  is  the  consequence.  The 
dry  r<jt  in  timber  proceeds  from  an  analogous  cause. 

Though  maintained  by  several  learned  men,  I  do  not  deem 
this  theory  a  very  probable  one.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  con- 
ceive a  fungus  alighting  on  the  tops  of  a  plant  and  thence 
growing  its  subterranean  way  downward  to  the  tuber ;  and, 
when  arrived  there,  if  it  ever  does  so  arrive,  there  is  no  con- 
clusive testimony  that  it  produces  decay.  That  a  parasite 
vegetable  can  live  and  propagate  itself  in  the  capillary  ves- 
sels of  another  vegetable,  is  a  supposition  extraordinary,  to 
eay  the  least ;  and,  if  it  descend  the  outside  of  the  stalk  to  the 
tuber,  how  does  it  penetrate  the  skin  and  first  appear,  where 
one  would  naturally  least  expect  to  find  it,  in  the  heart  of  the 
potatoe  ?  This  theory  has,  at  least,  the  merit  of  novelty,  to 
recommend  it ;  but  I  cannot  concede  it  my  belief  without  fur- 
ther evidence.  It  appears  to  me  much  more  likely  that  the 
potatoe  fungus,  like  the  supposititious  potatoe  fly,  is  an  acces- 
sary after  the  fact ;  a  consequence,  and  not  a  cause  of  the 
disease. 

There  are  other  some,  who  ascribe  the  potatoe  plague  to 
the  occurrence  of  a  honey  dew,  a  thing  which,  it  appears, 
was  known  to  the  ancients ;  but  is  certainly  so  little  known  to 
the  moderns  that  I  am  sure  they  will  not  take  it  as  an  affront 
that  I  tell  them  what  it  is. 

Early  in  the  mornings  of  May  or  June,  after  a  long 
drought,  in  Carolina,  and  after  a  succession  of  warm  days  and 
cool  nights,  there  is  found  on  the  leaves  of  plants  a  fluid  like 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  53 

••diluted  honey,  transparent,  and  tasting  like  the  syrup  of  re- 
fined sugar.  It  thickens  as  the  sun  rises,  and  ceases  to  be 
fluid  by  ten  or  eleven  o'clock. 

I  leave  it  to  the  reader's  ingenuity  to  discover  how  the 
honey  dew  of  Carolina  can  afflict  the  poor  potatoes  of  Yan- 
keedom,  where  it  has  not  been  seen  for  a  hundred  years,  if 
ever,  and  how  a  disease  that  originated  thirty  years  ago,  in 
Europe,  certainly,  and  probably  in  Ireland,  should  at  last 
have  found  its  primal  cause  among  the  alligators  of  North 
America.  This  theory  seems  to  me  too  absurd  to  demand 
serious  refutation. 

Having  now  stated  what  I  believe  but  partially  and  what  I 
do  not  believe  at  all,  the  reader  is,  perhaps,  desirous  to  know 
what  I  do  believe.  I  say,  I  have  no  theory  but  nature's,  but 
that  which  is  consistent  with  experience  and  common  sense, 
but  that  will  account  for  the  potatoe  plague,  in  all  its  phases, 
whenever  and  wherever  it  may  appear  ;  and  which,  while  it 
detects  the  cause  of  the  disease,  also  prescribes  the  remedy. 

But,  firstly, 

There  are  some  things  certain,  for  which  I  ask  no  man  to 
take  my  word,  and  which  it  may  be  of  advantage  to  all  to 
learn,  viz :  — 

1.  The  disease  is  not  confined  to  any  particular  kind  of 
soil  or  to  any  locality.     Some  assert  that  it  pertains  exclu- 
sively to  dry  soil;  others  as  stoutly  maintain  that  it  belongs 
only  to  wet. 

2.  It   does  not  exclusively  affect   any  particular  kind  or 
kinds  of  potatoes. 

3.  The  affected  potatoes,  like   other  diseased  vegetables, 
are  unwholesome,  if  not  poisonous. 

4.  Decomposition  proceeds  more  rapidly  among  the  infect- 
ed potatoes,  when  placed  in  a  heap ;  whence  I  do  not  infer, 
as  many  others  do,  that  it  is  best  to  defer  digging  till  late  in 
the  .Fall. 

5* 


54  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

It  is  an    undenied,  uncontroverted,  uncontrovertible  and 
•undeniable  fact  that,  in  both  the  animal  and  vegetable  king- 
doms, between  which  there  is  a  close  analogy,  every  stock 
propagated  for  a  long  course  of  years  within  itself,  exhausts 
Tits  vital  energies  and  deteriorates.     This  has  been  known  to 
:  all  nations,  in  all  ages  ;  this  is  the  reason  of  the  wise  prohi- 
bition of  the  intermarriages  between  near  relatives  ;  this   is 
•the  cause  of  the  deterioration  of  most  of  the  reigning  families 
in  Europe  ;  and  hence  it  is  that  there  are  no  more  heroes 
among  the  Bourbons,  or  wise  men  among  the  Guelphs.     The 
intermarrying  cretins  and  cagots  have  transmitted  their  taint- 
ed blood  to  a  race  of  dwarfs  and  idiots,  and  —  but  why  need 
I  multiply  instances  ?  —  every  practical  farmer  and  sports- 
man knows  the  inevitable  consequence  of  "breeding  in  and 
in,"  and  breeding  from  defective  specimens.     And  this  dete- 
rioration  is  as  true  and  certain  in  the  vegetable  kingdom. 
The  scrub  oaks,  and  dry,  short  grass  of  the  western  prairies 
attest  it.     That  the  potatoe  is  not  exempt  from  this  inherent 
tendency  to  deterioration,  I  shall  cite  two,  among  a  thousand 
evidences. 

For  thirty  years,  or  more,  this  disease  has  been  making 
slow  and  insidious  progress  in  Europe ;  but  it  is  not  until 
quite  lately  that  it  has  excited  any  alarm  on  this  continent. 
What  does  this  show,  if  not,  that  the  old  stocks  of  Europe, 
having  had  time  to  exhaust  their  vital  energies,  have  at  last 
fallen  into  inevitable  decay,  which  is  but  beginning  among 
the  younger  stocks  of  America  ?  The  once  famous  apple 
potatoe  of  Ireland,  for  a  long  series  of  years  the  pride  and 
;  boast  of  the  island,  at  last  showed  such  signs  of  decay  that  the 
cultivation  of  it  was  entirely  abandoned.  This  happened 
some  years  ago,  and  the  rest  of  the  Irish  stocks  appear  to  be 
now  further  advanced  in  the  same  progress. 

In  another  famous  potatoe  growing  country,  Nova  Scotia, 
the  progress  of  the  disease,  and  its  arrest,  speak  volumes  in 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  55 

proof  of  the  truth  of  this  theory.  For  many  years  it  pervad- 
ed particular  farms,  sometimes  appearing  in  the  stalk,  long 
before  the  potatoe  had  arrived  at  maturity  ;  sometimes  after 
it  was  harvested  and  put  into  the  cellar,  and  what  shows  con- 
clusively that  this  was  caused  by  reproducing  from  the  same, 
and  from  defective  seed,  is,  that  after  ineffectually  trying 
many  other  remedies,  the  suffering  farmers  hit  upon  the  true 
one.  They  planted  the  balls,  and  thus  procured  new  seed, 
which,  in  two  or  three  years,  came  to  full  size  and  maturity, 
and  were  proof  to  the  prevailing  disease. 

A  writer  who  appears  to  understand  this  subject,  (the  edi- 
tor of  the  Buffalo  Commercial  Advertiser,)  says,  "  The  latter 
opinion  in  Scotland,  Germany,  Sweden  and  Russia,  is,  that, 
by  long  propagation,  without  recurring  to  the  natural  seed  of 
the  plant,  it  has  lost  a  portion  of  its  vital  power,  and  hence  is 
extremely  prone  to  blight,  to  rust  and  to  rot." 

Now,  though  there  are  several  varieties,  and  good  ones, 
which  produce  no  balls  or  blossoms,  it  is  not  thence  positively 
to  be  inferred  that  they  have  lost  none  of  their  vital  power. 
The  old  age  of  a  stock  comes  on  gradually,  and  these,  it  is 
probable,  though  they  have  not  reached  the  stage  of  visible 
decay,  are  not  far  from  it.  Neither  does  the  fact  that  some 
new  varieties  have  suffered  more  than  some  old  ones,  militate 
very  strongly  against  my  position,  unless  it  can  be  proved  that 
the  said  new  varieties,  were  not  only  from  seed  of  a  new 
stock,  but  seed  of  a  healthy  and  perfect  quality.  It  does  ap- 
pear that  entirely  new  varieties,  and  seed  obtained  from  new 
countries  have,  on  the  whole,  suffered  much  less  than  old 
ones. 

It  is  self-evident  that,  as  sickly  and  weakly  parents  are 
seldom  blessed  with  strong  and  healthy  offspring,  so  neither 
will  imperfect  seed  produce  perfect,  thriving  plants.  I  there- 
fore recommend,  where  seed  is  suspected,  to  come  to  the 
root  of  the  evil,  as  did  the  agriculturists  of  Ireland,  in  the 


56  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

matter  of  the  apple  potatoe,  and  as  the  Nova  Scotians  do  \ 
by  rejecting  it  altogether.  The  potatoes  planted  should  be  of 
good  size,  and  not  cut  into  small  pieces.  You  may  as  well 
expect  a  vigorous  blade  of  corn  from  a  diminutive,  shrivelled 
grain,  as  a  strong  plant  from  a  small  potatoe.  There  never 
was  a  more  fatal  error  than  the  common  one  that  "  any  pota 
toes  are  good  enough  for  planting." 

It  is  confidently  asserted  by  many  writers,  and  I  believe  it 
to  be  true  from  by  own  experience  and  observation,  that  the 
weakness  of  the  seed  is  usually  caused  by  over-ripeness ;  that 
is,  by  coming  to  full  maturity  before  being  taken  from  the 
ground.  The  best  potatoe  growers  dig  their  seed  potatoes 
before  they  have  quite  completed  their  growth.  They  are 
full  of  sap,  and  remain  so.  From  the  fact  that  they  are  too 
waxy  for  the  table,  they  are  the  fitter  for  seed.  Seed  pota- 
toes should  not  be  of  a  mealy  quality,  nor  should  they  be 
stored  so  that  they  will  heat,  or  be  kept  out  of  the  ground 
long  after  they  are  cut  for  planting. 

It  does  not  follow  that  all  potatoes  of  what  are  called  new 
varieties  are  necessarily  equally  new.  Some  of  them  may 
have  gone  through  more  generations  than  others.  I  have 
been  forcibly  struck  with  the  truth,  as  it  seems  to  me,  that 
most  varieties  now  in  vogue  are  actually  dying  slowly  of  old 
age,  the  principles  of  decay  being  more  or  less  quickened  by 
unfavorable  seasons  or  unskillful  management.  The  chenan- 
go,  for  example,  has  been  among  the  longest  cultivated  by 
farmers,  and  has  been,  perhaps,  the  most  affected  by  disease. 
English  whites  and  reds  have  not  suffered  so  much,  being 
of  a  hardier  constitution ;  but  they,  too,  have,  for  years,  been 
showing  symptoms  of  decay.  Perhaps  the  wisest  course  , 
universally,  would  be  to  obtain  new  varieties  from  the  seed, 
,.  or  to  resort  to  the  wild  South  American  original. 


CHAPTER    I. 

Some  Account  of  the  Appearance  of  the  Disease  in  Different 
parts  of  the,  World,  and  the  Means  taken  to  arrest  its 
Progress. 

THE  British  Government  have  issued  a  commission  to 
proceed  to  Ireland,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  into  the 
causes  of  the  disease.  The  commission  consists  of  Profes- 
sors Kane,  Lindley  and  Playfair.  Their  first  report,  directed 
merely  towards  improper  methods  of  storing  the  crop,  has 
been  published  by  the  Irish  government,  and  distributed  by 
means  of  the  constabulary,  through  the  whole  country. 

In  Ireland  the  official  inquiry  is  essentially  aided  by  the 
important  evidence  collected  by  various  diligent  inquirers, 
especially  by  the  Royal  Irish  Agricultural  Improvement 
Society,  a  most  zealous  and  useful  association,  and  the  officers 
of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society.  In  England  the  Rev.  M.  J. 
Berkeley  and  Mr.  Edward  Jolley,  are  occupied  with  a  mi- 
nute investigation  of  the  subject  for  the  Horticultural  Society, 
in  the  mycological  and  chemical  points  of  view  ;  and  in  Scot- 
land the  Agricultural  Chemistry  Association  have  put  forth 
a  circular  inviting  the  public  to  subscribe  Jive  hundred  pounds 
for  the  expense  of  an  entomologico,  botanicr,  chemico  prac- 
tical examination  of  the  matter. 

The  following  is  the  report  above  alluded  to : 


58  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

Board  Koom,  Royal  Dublin  Society, \ 
24th  October,  1845.          J 

MY  LORD,  —  "We,  the  undersigned  Commissioners,  ap- 
pointed by  Her  Majesty's  Government  to  report  to  your 
Excellency  on  the  state  of  disease  in  the  potatoe  crop,  and  on 
the  means  of  its  prevention,  have  the  honor  to  inform  your 
Excellency  that  we  are  pursuing  our  inquiries  with  unremit- 
ting attention. 

We  are  fully  sensible  of  the  important  and  difficult  nature 
of  the  inquiry,  and  therefore  are  unwilling  to  offer,  at  the 
present  moment,  any  final  recommendations,  as  we  are  still 
receiving  evidence,  and  awaiting  the  results  of  various  ex- 
periments now  in  progress.  But  at  the  same  time  we  ought 
to  state  to  your  Excellency  that  we  have  reason  to  hope  that 
the  progress  of  the  disease  may  be  retarded  by  the  applica- 
tion of  simple  means,  which  we  trust  may  appear  worthy 
of  adoption,  until  we  are  enabled  to  offer  further  recom- 
mendations. 

In  the  present  communication  we  avoid  entering  into  any 
account  of  the  origin  or  nature  of  the  disease ;  but  we  would 
particularly  direct  attention  to  the  ascertained  facts,  that 
moisture  hastens  its  progress,  and  that  it  is  capable  of  being 
communicated  to  healthy  potatoes  when  they  are  in  contact 
with  such  as  are  already  tainted.  A  knowledge  of  these 
facts,  determined,  as  they  have  been,  by  experiment,  and 
agreeing  with  the  scientific  information  obtained  as  to  the 
causes  and  nature  of  the  disease,  lead  us  to  propose  the  adop- 
tion of  the  following  plan  for  diminishing  the  evils  arising 
from  the  destructive  malady : 

In  the  event  of  a  continuance  of  dry  weather,  and  in  soils 
tolerably  dry,  we  recommend  that  the  potatoes  should  be  al- 
lowed, for  the  present,  to  remain  in  the  land;  but  if  wet 
weather  intervene,  or  if  the  soil  be  naturally  wet,  we  consider 
that  they  should  be  removed  from  the  ground  without  delay. 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  59 

When  the  potatoes  are  dug  out  of  the  ground,  we  are  de- 
cidedly of  opinion  that  they  should  not  be  pitted  in  the  usual 
way,  as  the  circumstances  under  which  potatoes  are  placed  in 
ordinary  pits  are  precisely  those  which  tend  to  hasten  their 
decay. 

We  recommend  that  potatoes  when  dug  should  be  spread 
over  the  field,  and  not  collected  into  heaps,  and  if  the  weather 
continue  dry  and  free  from  frost  that  they  should  be  allowed 
to  lie  upon  the  field  for  a  period  of  time  not  exceeding  three 
days. 

The  potatoes,  after  being  thus  dried  and  improved  in  their 
power  of  resisting  disease  by  the  means  proposed,  should 
then  be  sorted,  by  carefully  separating  those  which  show  any 
tendency  to  decay.  Those  potatoes  which  appear  to  be 
sound  should  then  be  placed  about  two  inches  apart  in  a 
layer,  and  over  each  layer  of  potatoes  should  be  placed  a 
layer  of  turf  ashes,  or  dry  turf  mould,  or  dry  sand,  or  burned 
clay,  to  the  depth  of  a  few  inches.  Thus  will  be  formed  a 
bed  of  potatoes,  each  potatoe  being  completely  separated  from 
the  other  by  a  dry  absorptive  material ;  upon  this  bed, 
another  layer  of  potatoes  should  be  spread  in  like  manner, 
and  be  also  covered  with  the  dry  materials  employed ;  as 
many  as  four  layers  may  thus  be  placed  one  above  the  other, 
and  when  the  heap  is  completed,  it  should  be  covered  with 
dry  clay,  straw,  heath,  or  any  other  material  adapted  to 
protect  it  from  rain. 

In  the  event  of  the  weather  becoming  wet  these  recom- 
mendations are  not  applicable.  In  that  case  we  would  advise 
that  the  potatoes  be  packed  in  small  heaps,  with  either  straw  or 
heath  interposed,  and  well  covered  ;  in  such  a  situation  they 
would  become  as  well  dried  as  seems  practicable  under  the 
circumstances.  Where  outbuildings  exist,  it  would  be  ad- 
visable that  this  mode  of  temporary  packing  should  be  carried 
on  in  those  places.  If  there  be  no  outhouses  the  heaps  may 


60  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

be  left  in  the  open  field.  We,  however,  particularly  recom- 
mend that  potatoes  should  not  be  removed  into  inhabited 
rooms. 

With  regard  to  the  treatment  of  potatoes  already  attacked 
with  the  disease,  we  have  to  state  that  in  this  early  stage  of 
our  investigation  we  do  not  feel  justified  in  proposing  to  your 
Excellency  any  mode  of  positive  treatment, —  this  subject  we 
reserve  for  a  future  report;  but  we  may  remark  that  expo- 
sure to  light  and  dryne^s,  in  all  cases,  retards  the  progress  of 
alterations,  such  as  the  disease  in  question,  and  we  therefore 
suggest  that  all  such  potatoes  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be  so 
treated. 

We  do  not  mean  to  represent  that  these  recommendations, 
if  carried  into  effect,  will  prevent  the  occurrence  of  disease  in 
potatoes,  but  we  feel  assured  that  the  decay  will  extend  less 
rapidly  and  less  extensively  under  these  circumstances  than 
if  the  potatoes,  when  taken  from  the  ground,  be  at  once  pitted 
in  the  usual  manner.  Neither  do  we  offer  these  suggestions 
to  your  Excellency  as  a  final  means  of  securing  the  crop,  but 
merely  as  a  method  of  retarding  the  progress  of  an  enemy 
whose  history  and  habits  are  yet  but  imperfectly  known, 
whilst  we  endeavor  to  ascertain  the  means  of  more  com- 
pletely counteracting  its  injurious  effects,  if  any  such  can 
be  discovered. 

All  which  we  submit  to  your  Excellency's  consideration, 
and  remain  your  Excellency's  obedient  and  faithful  servants, 

ROBKKT  RANK, 
JOHN  LINDLKY, 
LYON  PLAYFAIR. 

In  France,  the  French  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
deputed  M.  Charles  Morren,  of  Liege,  to  examine  into  the 
cause  of  the  potatoe  rot.  Mr.  Morren  is  a  foreigner,  and  his 
selection  by  the  French,  for  this  inquiry,  is  a  sufficient  guar- 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  61 

antee  for  his  talents  and  ability.  This  gentleman  states  the 
result  of  his  investigation  to  be,  that  the  rot  is  caused  by  a 
fungus,  the  spores  or  seeds  of  which  exist  in  vast  quantities 
in  the  atmosphere,  and  this  opinion  has  been  generally  re- 
ceived as  true  by  the  best  informed  circles  in  Europe.  But 
the  letter  is  a  document  so  important  to  the  present  question, 
as  conveying  the  prevailing  opinions  that  are  entertained  on 
this  subject  in  Europe,  that  we  quote  it  below. 

Mr.  Morren,  after  stating  that  the  evil  has  prevailed  in 
Belgium  for  several  years,  though  to  a  far  less  alarming 
degree  than  at  present,  proceeds  : 

"  The  real  cause  of  the  evil  is  a  fungus,  or  sort  of  mush- 
room, which  the  learned  will  classify  under"  the  genus  botrydis^. 
but  which  agriculturists,  without  further  specification,  will  call 
a  spot,  or  blemish,  or  blotches.  This  mushroom  is  of  ex- 
treme tenuity,  but  it  breeds  amazingly,  and  reproduces  itself 
by  thousands.  Its  stems  are  formed  of  little,  straight,  hollow 
threads,  which  bear  on  their  summits  one  or  more  branches, 
always  divided  into  two,  and  at  the  end  of  these  branches 
reproductive  bodies  are  found,  which  have  the  form  of  eggs,, 
but  which  are  scarcely  the  hundredth  part  of  a  millimetre  in 
size.  It  will  be  said  that  this  is  a  very  small  body  to  do  so. 
much  mischief;  but  I  answer  that  the  itch  is  not  a  disease 
the  less  to  be  feared  because  the  acare  which  produces  it  can 
only  be  seen  by  the  aid  of  the  microscope. 

After  the  formation  of  the  yellow  spot,  and  the  develope- 
ment  of  the  lotrydis  on  the  leaf  of  the  potatoe,  the  stalk 
receives  the  deleterious  influence.  Here  and  there  its  epi- 
dermis turns  brown,  blackens,  and,  following  with  the  micro- 
scope the  phases  of  the  evil,  you  perceive  that  it  is  by  the 
rind  that  the  stalk  is  attacked.  The  morbid  agent  carries  its 
action  from  the  rind  on  the  epidermis,  and  though  this  last 
does  not  always  disclose  mushrooms,  it  is  not  the  less  for  that 
struck  with  death.  . 
6 


62  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

The  infection  soon  descends  into  the  tubercle  itself.  If 
the  disease  follows  its  course,  the  tubercle  mortifies  forthwith. 
A  potatoe  is  not  a  root,  but  a  branch,  whence  it  follows  that  a 
tubercle  contains  a  marrow,  which  is  the  eatable  part  to  be 
preferred,  and  a  separate  rind ;  between  the  marrow  and  the 
rind  there  is  a  zone  of  vessels,  which  represent  wood.  This 
construction  is  apparent  to  any  one  who  chooses  to  cut  a  thin 
slice  of  potatoe,  and  place  it  between  his  eye  and  the  day 
light.  The  infection  attacks  that  part  which  receives  the  sap 
on  its  descent. 

By  following  the  progress  of  the  evil  upon  a  great  number 
of  tainted  tubercles,  I  have  been  able  to  see  how  the  evil,  by 
one  continuous  progress,  at  length  reaches  the  heart  itself  of 
the  potatoe,  and  corrupts  the  vegetable  entirely.  The  skin 
of  the  diseased  potatoe  comes  off  easily ;  the ,  flesh  cracks 
tinder  the  knife :  a  flatulent  liquid  drips  from  the  potatoe ;  a 
musty,  and  presently  an  animal  smell,  analogous  to  the  smell 
of  mushrooms  recently  cut,  manifests  itself,  and  occasions 
considerable  nausea.  *  *  * 

The  evil  being  traced  to  its  source,  the  cultivator  must 
direct  all  his  attention  to  the  destruction  of  the  fungus,  or 
mushroom,  for  it  is  unfortunately  but  too  true  that  all  the 
parasites  of  this  genus  once  introduced  into  a  country,  remain 
there  and  propagate.  This  year  the  epidemic  has  been  gen- 
eral ;  the  germ  exists  every  where :  millions  upon  millions  of 
propagules,  if  their  numbers  are  not  diminished  this  year, 
will  next  year  attack  the  plants,  and  then  it  will  be  more 
difficult  to  eradicate  the  scourge. 

It  is  essential  to  adopt  the  following  precaution  : 

When  the  leaves  are  decidedly  spoilt,  cut  down  the  vines 
forthwith,  and  burn  them  on  the  spot,  instead  of  taking  them 
away. 

When  certain  varieties  or  certain  localities  are  free  from 
the  scourge  at  the  time  of  the  harvest,  it  is  always  prudent  to 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  63 

burn  the  leaves,  for  a  field  may  appear  secure  from  the 
botrydis,  when  it  is  not  so ;  several  leaves  are  attacked ; 
these  leaves  throw  the  propagule  on  to  the  tubercles,  which,' 
if  preserved  for  the  purposes  of  reproduction,  will  spread  the 
plague  the  following  year. 

If  the  potatoes  themselves  are  attacked,  it  is  essential  to 
separate  as  speedily  as  may  be,  the  potatoes  that  are  tainted 
from  those  that  are  not.  Turn  the  sound  ones  over  to  account 
as  soon  as  possible,  for  they  are  not  noxious  so  long  as  the 
rind  does  not  become  yellow.  The  diseased  ones  should  be 
burnt. 

As  it  is  probable  that  the  tubercles  preserved  for  seed  will 
be  infected  with  the  spawn  of  the  mushroom,  it  would  be  ad- 
visable for  cultivators  who  can,  to  procure  tubercles  for 
reproduction  from  places  where  the  present  scourge  is 
unknown. 

In  case  of  using  for  reproduction  the  tubercles  of  crops 
visited  by  the  plague  tliis  year,  it  will  be  necessary  to  sub- 
mit them,,  previous  to  planting,  to  the  agency  of  lime,  as  it  is 
practised  with  wheat  and  all  plants  that  are  liable  to  invasion 
by  parasitical  bodies.  The  process  ought  to  be  by  the  im- 
mersion of  the  tubercles  in  lime  water.  Fifty  pounds  of 
lime,  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  sulphate  of  copper,  and  six 
pounds  of  marine  salt,  for  twenty -five  quarts  of  water,  consti- 
tute a  preparation,  the  utility  of  which,  in  the  destruction  of 
parasite  vegetation,  has  been  experienced  by  a  great  number 
of  well-informed  cultivators. 

In  the  plantations  of  the  spring  of  1846,  it  is  essential  to 
plant  potatoes  in  fields  as  far  as  possible 'removed  from  those 
actually  infected  this  year,  to  avoid  the  danger  from  the 
retention  in  the  soil  of  the  spawn  of  the  fungus. 

The  use  of  lime  and  manure  salt,  with  a  slight  mixture  of 
sulphate  of  copper,  is,  as  I  have  already  said,  of  acknowl- 
edged efficacy  in  the  destruction  of  parasite  germs.  Conse- 


64  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

quently,  to  powder  over  with  such  a  mixture,  a  soil  in  which 
diseased  potatoes  have  grown,  is  a  good  operation  for  destroy- 
ing in  that  land  the  germs  of  the  scourge.  The  operation 
ought  to  be  recommended  everywhere. 

The  storing  of  potatoes  from  fields  that  have  this  year  been 
attacked  by  the  scourge,  in  cellars,  caves,  &c.,  will  certainly 
be  to  deposit  the  spawn  of  the  mushroom  in  those  very  places. 
They  should,  therefore,  before  receiving  the  potatoes,  be 
thoroughly  cleansed,  and  scoured  with  lime,  or  ground  char- 
coal scattered  over  the  bottom,  (and  on  the  potatoes  as  they 
are  stored,)  which  will  conclude  the  series  of  operations,  the 
most  rational  and  the  most  certain  for  destroying,  if  possible, 
the  evil  at  its  root. 

C.  H.  MORREN, 
Member  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Science*. 

Liege,  August  14,  1845." 

The  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society,  sixth  vol- 
ume, contains  an  article  on  "  The  prevention  of  curl  and  dry 
rot  in  potatoes,"  by  H.  S.  Thompson,  which  is  valuable  and 
interesting  as  it  contains  the  result  of  extensive  observation 
and  experiments  on  the  subject,  for  the  last  five  years.  The 
editor  of  the  New  England  Farmer  thinks  that  "  the  disease 
therein  described  is  analogous,  if  not  identical  with  the  one 
so  prevalent  in  many  sections  of  our  own  country,"  and,  he 
adds,  "it  may  vary  in  its  effects  in  different  soils,  seasons,  or 
climates."  Mr.  Thompson  commences  his  article  by  first 
mentioning  the  results  to  which  he  has  been  led,  which  are : 

"  That  curl  and  dry  rot  are  caused  by  leaving  the  pota- 
toes intended  for  seed  in  the  ground  until  ripe,  and  that,  on 
the  other  hand,  these  diseases  may  be  prevented  by  taking  up 
the  seed  potatoes  whilst  the  tubers  are  unripe  and  the  tops 
still  green." 

.1840.     "  Having  had  my  attention  strongly  drawn  to  tho 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  65 

failure  in  the  potatoe  crop,"  says  Mr.  Thompson,  "I  paid 
more  than  ordinary  attention  to  the  selection  of  seed,  and  in 
1840  planted  sixteen  acres  with  potatoes,  making  choice  of 
two  kinds  of  round  red  varieties,  both  of  them  new  to  my  land. 
The  gentleman  from  whom  I  obtained  them,  having  two  farms, 
one  of  stiff,  the  other  of  light  land,  —  had  changed  his  sets 
regularly  from  one  to  the  other.  I  planted  them  on  a  sandy 
loam,  which  was  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  my  reason 
for  planting  it  with  potatoes  was  solely  because  I  was  aware 
if  sown  with  corn  it  would  be  so  lodged  as  to  be  nearly 
worthless.  They  were  planted  in  the  last  week  in  April.  I 
naturally  expected  a  heavy  crop,  but  was  much  disappointed, 
as  symptoms  of  curl  soon  appeared.  This  increased,  and 
though  few  of  the  plants  perished,  nearly  the  whole  were 
unhealthy.  I  was  so  much  surprised  at  the  appearance  of 
curl  that  I  watched  and  examined  the  plants  at  several 
periods  of  their  growth,  taking  up  roots  here  and  there 
wherever  I  observed  one  either  better  or  worse  than  its 
neighbors*  The  appearance  of  all  those  affected  was  nearly 
the  same.  The  set,  as  long  as  the  weather  was  dry,  crum- 
bled and  perished,  —  the  disease  seeming  to  proceed  from 
certain  spots  or  pits  as  centres,  and  gradually  destroying  the 
whole  set.  The  cut  sets  were  the  worst,  and  the  decay 
always  commenced  from  the  cut  side  of  the  set,  but  the 
whole  ones  also  suffered. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  became  wet,  these  appearances 
changed,  and  the  diseased  portion  of  the  set  resembled  a 
sponge,  which  after  a  short  time  became  black  and  offensive. 
The  effect,  on  the  plant  was  well  marked.  Wherever  the 
disease  had  made  a  decided  impression  on  the  set,  the  stalks 
of  the  plant  were  marked  with  brown  streaks  and  patches, 
and  evidently  showed  that  the  juices  which  they  were  con- 
ducting from  the  set  were  vitiated  and  noxious.  The  part 
of  the  stalk  to  which  I  directed  my  attention  was  that  under- 
6* 


66  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

ground,  in  which  it  was  easy  to  trace  the  progress  of  the 
disease,  from  their  being  white  and  nearly  transparent. 
Wherever  the  stalk  was  curled,  I  found  the  sets  diseased.  In 
.^some  cases  the  disease  carried  the  day,  and  the  set  reaching 
;an  advanced  stage  of  decomposition,  and  the  stalks  below 
ground  becoming  quite  brown,  the  tops  died  away.  In  a 
subsequent  season  ( 1844)  most  of  the  sets  attacked  perished  ; 
but  on  this  occasion  a  great  majority  of  the  plants  threw 
out  strong  roots,  and  finding  an  abundant  supply  of  food, 
maintained  a  constant  struggle  with  the  disease,  and  event- 
ually yielded  a  good  half  crop. 

The  experience  of  this  season  convinced  me  that  curl,  dry 
rot  and  wet  rot,  are  one  and  the  same  complaint ;  that  curl  is 
a  mild  attack  of  the  disease,  which,  when  violent,  destroys 
the  set  before  it  can  germinate  ;  and  that  it  assumes  the  form 
of  dry  or  wet  rot  according  to  the  degree  of  moisture  of  the 
soil  or  season.  I  have  repeatedly  seen  potatoes  affected  with 
dry  rot,  in  a  few  days  assume  appearances  by  which  wet  rot 
is  usually  described;  and  this  change  was  evidently  attrib- 
utable to  heavy  rains  which  had  fallen  in  the  interval. 

1841.  As  I  still  considered  the  red  potatoes  above-men- 
tioned to  be  good  kinds,  and  that  the  occurrence  of  curl  was 
accidental,  I  determined  to  give  one  of  them  another  trial ; 
and  accordingly,  I  planted  about  an  acre  and  a  half  with  sets 
from  the  crop  of  1840,  which  had  suffered  so  much  from  curl. 
They  were  planted  as  late  as  the  8th  of  June,  the  weather 
dry  and  unfavorable  ;  yet  in  spite  of  these  disadvantages  they 
came " up  well,  grew  luxuriantly,  and  produced  an  excellent 
crop.  Side  by  side  with  these  potatoes  two  other  kinds  were 
grown ;  one  a  black  kidney,  a  very  superior  potatoe  for  the 
table,  the  other  a  cattle  potatoe.  These  were  bought  sets, 
nor  do  I  know  how  they  had  been  previously  treated.  Both, 
however,  were  failing  crops.  The  experience  of  this  year 
was  valuable,  running  directly  counter  to  what  has  been  so 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  67 

frequently  asserted  by  the  authorities,  namely,  "  that  curl  is 
sure  to  increase,  and  that  curled  sets  are  to  be  avoided  Jike  the 
plague."  The  explanation  of  the  rule  and  of  this  exception 
to  it,  appears  to  me  to  be  as  follows : 

Curled  potatoes  ripen  early,  some  weeks  before  the  healthy 
plante,  and  consequently  are  almost  always  too  ripe,  when 
taken  up,  to  make  good  sets,  and  if  so  used  the  disease  will 
rapidly  increase  each  successive  season. 

In  this  instance,  however,  the  infected  potatoes  were  taken 
up  before  they  were  ripe,  and  proved  tc  be  as  good  sets  as 
could  be  used.  The  potatoes  above-mentioned  were  taken 
up  the  second  week  in  November,  1841.  Having  been 
planted  so  late  the  round  reds  were  not  ripe  ;  the  black  kid- 
neys, a  much  earlier  variety,  were. 

1842.  The  same  potatoes  were  used  for  seed  this  year. 
The  unripe  reds  produced  an  excellent  crop,,  without,   so  far 
as  I  am  aware,  a  single  failing  plant.     The  ripe  black  kid- 
neys were  again  a  failing  crop.     In  the  middle  of  May  I 
planted,  with  these  black  kidneys,  a  small  piece  of  old  grass 
land,  as  a_  preparation  for  forest  trees.     This  plot  of  ground 
had  been  from  time  immemorial  flowed  over  by^the  waste 
water  from  an  old  and  ill-constructed  farm  yard,  immediately 
adjoining,  and  was  therefore  as  rich  as  could  well  be  im- 
agined.    The  potatoes  had  immense  tops,  but  very  small  tu- 
bers ;  and,  when  beiled,  the  favorite  black  kidneys  seemed 
quite  to  have  changed  their  character.  t  Instead  of  the  fine 
mealiness  for   which    they  are  remarkable,  they  now  bore 
much   resemblance  to  a  piece  of  yellow  soap.     They  also 
continued  growing  till  the  frost  and  snow  made  it  dangerous 
to  leave  them  any  longer  in  the  ground,  and  they  were  taken 
up  still  thoroughly  unripe.     The  round  reds,  grown  on  old- 
going  land,  were  taken  up  ordinarily  ripe,  and  were  mealy 
and  good. 

1843.  These  two  kinds  were  again  used  for  seed,  and 


68  The  Potatoe  Plagae. 

the  white  reds  had  numerous  failures,  but  the  unripe  black 
kidneys  were  as  even  and  vigorous  a  crop  as  could  be  wished. 
I  had  not  yet  learnt  to  attribute  the  failure  to  its  right  cause, 
and  was  accordingly  much  puzzled  to  account  for  the  curl 
among  the  round  reds,  which  had  thriven  so  well  the  two 
previous  seasons.  In  consequence  of  the  heavy  fall  of  snow 
in  October,  they  were  taken  up  earlier  than  was  intended, 
and  the  red  potatoes  were  not  ripe,  but  the  black  kidneys, 
(a  capital  crop)  were. 

1844.  It  was  during  the  spring  of  1844,  that  I  became 
convinced  that  the  maturity  of  the  potatoe  intended  for  se'ed 
materially  affected  the  vigor  of  the  future  plant ;  and  the  crop 
of  this  year  furnished  me  with  some  facts  strongly  corrobora- 
tive of  this  opinion.  The  ripe  black  kidneys  again  failed  to 
a  great  extent ;  not  less,  I  think,  than  half  the  sets  perished 
without  vegetating,  or  only  showed  puny  curled  tops,  and  died 
without  forming  tubers  larger  than  peas.  The  unripe  reds 
were  planted  in  a  particularly  unfavorable  place,  namely,  an 
old  lane  which  had  been  just  added  to  an  adjoining  field,  and 
was  so  hard  and  dry  that  parts  of  it  had  to  be  broken  up  with 
pickaxes.  In  consequence  of  the  long  drought  the  planting 
was  delayed  for  several  weeks  in  hopes  of  rain,  but  as  none 
came  they  were  put  into  the  ground  as  dry  as  dust  and  plant- 
ed without  manure ;  no  rain,  with  the  exception  of  a  light 
shower,  fell  till  the  potatoes  were  up.  Still,  in  the  whole  of 
the  piece,  rather  more  than  an  acre,  I  could  not  discover  that 
a  single  plant  had  failed,  and  the  braird  was  universally 
strong  and  healthy.  It  will  be  well  to  preseift  their  results 
in  a  tabular  form.  I  shall  assume  that  the  red  potatoes 
bought  in  1840,  and  the  black  kidneys  in  1841,  had  been 
taken  up  ripe;  and  their  mealiness  will  justify  such  an  as- 
sumption, as  unripe  potatoes  are  always  watery,  and  unfit  for 
the  table. 


TJie  Potatoe  Plague. 


69 


ROUND  REDS. 


Year. 

Seed  taken  up. 

Quality  of  crop- 

Quantity  of  crop. 

1840 
1841 
1842 
1843 
1844 

Ripe,  supposed 
Unripe 
Unripe 
Ripe 
Unripe 

Curled 
No  Curl 
No  Curl 
Curled 
No  Curl 

Failing  crop. 
Good  crop. 
Good  crop 
Indifferent  crop 
Good  crop 

BLACK  KIDNEYS. 

1841 

1842 
1843 
1844 

Ripe,  supposed 
Ripe 
Unripe 
Ripe 

Curled 
Curled 
No  Curl 
Much  curled 

Failing  crop 
Light  crop 
Capital  crop 
Very  bad  crop 

Had  the  above  results  been  obtained  by  experience  con- 
trived for  the  purpose,  they  could  not  have  borne  more  direct- 
-ly  on  the  point  in  question,  as  we  find  in  the  wet  summer  of 
1843,  and  the  extraordinary  drought  of  1844,  as  well  as  in 
the  average  seasons  of  1841  and  1842,  it  accidentally  hap- 
pened that  part  of  my  potatoe  crop  was  grown  from  ripe,  and 
another  part  from  unripe  sets,  and  in  every  case  with  success 
from  the  one,  and  failure  from  the  other ;  thus  showing  that 
the  seasons  could  not  be  blamed  as  the-  cause  of  curl.  To 
make  these  instances  still  more  conclusive,  it  also  happened 
thai  each  of  the  two  very  different  kinds  of  potatoes  named 
were  alternately  affected  by  or  free  from  curl ;  thus  showing 
that  it  was  not  a  peculiarity  belonging  to  a  particular  kind 
of  potatoe. 

Thus  far  I  have  detailed  my  own  experience  only ;  but 
when  it  first  occurred  to  me  that  over-ripening  of  the  set  was 
the  cause  of  the  curl,  I  naturally  became  anxious  to  compare 
the  experience  of  others  with  my  own,  and  make  many  in- 
quiries on  the  subject  from  other  potatoe  growers.  The 
information  thus  received  still  more  strongly  confirmed  me 
in  my  previous  opinion,  and  I  select  one  or  two  of  the  cases 


70  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

which  appear  to  me  most  in  point.  The  first  gives  the  result 
of  two  opposite  methods  of  treating  potatoes  intended  for  seed 
as  practised  by  two  intelligent  farmers. 

The  first  farmer  has  planted  the  same  kind  of  ash-top  kid- 
ney for  more  than  ten  years.  The  first  year  or  two  he  took 
up  those  intended  for  seed  at  the  same  time  as  those  intended 
for  consumption ;  but  found  that  they  grew  so  much  during 
the  winter  that  they  were  obliged  to  be  sprouted  twice,  which 
weakened  the  set  so  much  as  to  injure  the  crop.  He  then 
tried  the  effect  of  leaving  them  longer  in  the  ground  —  some- 
times as  much  as  three  months  after  the  plant  was  ripe.  This 
produced  the  desired  effect  of  preventing  the  growth  during 
winter ;  but  after  some  years'  continuance  he  found  the  ger- 
minating power  so  much  injured  that  they  were  a  month  or 
more  later  in  coming  up  than  those  of  Ins  neighbors,  treated 
in  the  ordinary  way.  In  fact,  he  could  scarcely  get  them  to 
grow  at  all,  and  was  forced  to  change  his  plan. 

The  second  farmer  has  grown  ash-top  kidneys  for  some 
years,  and  finds  them  better  'and  earlier  than  when  he  first 
got  them.  Is  in  the  habit  of  planting  those  he  intends  for 
sets  after  taking  up  his  crop  of  cabbages,  which  is  at  the  end 
of  June  or  beginning  of  July.  He  also  takes  them  up  before 
they  are  ripe ;  never  finds  them  fail ;  they  grow  earlier  in 
spring  than  potatoes  not  so  treated,  and  make  stronger  and 
healthier  plants. 

The  contrast  between  these  two  instances  is  very  complete. 
TAVO  men,  living  not  above  two  hundred  yards  from  one 
another,  and  whose  gardens  are  almost  precisely  similar, 
grow  the  same  kind  of  potatoe  in  the  same  seasons.  The 
potatoes  of  the  last  named  being  taken  up  unripe,  improve 
both  in  vigor  and  early  maturity,  while  the  first,  which  are 
left  in  the  ground  till  over-ripe,  will  scarcely  grow  at  all. 

Another  case.  A  farmer  in  Tawden,  near  Scarborough, 
(which  some  years  ago  supplied  large  quantities  of  potatoes 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  71 

for  seed,)  has  been  a  potatoe  grower  for  thirty  years,  used 
formerly  to  send  five  or  six  hundred  bushels  of  Tawdon  kid- 
neys annually  to  Selby,  where  they  were  used  for  seed,'  and 
the  produce  sent  to  London.  He  used  to  grow  two  hundred 
bushels  to  the  acre,  but  now  considers  fifty  bushels  a  good 
crop  ;  has  failed  so  repeatedly  the  last  five  years  in  growing 
a  crop,  that  this  year,  1844,  he  has  none,  and  believes  there 
is  but  one  man  in  the  township  who  continues  to  grow  the 
kidneys. 

I  will  now  state  the  chemical  facts  which  appear  to  me  to 
confirm  and  explain  the  above-mentioned  results  of  practice. 
It  is  notorious  to  potatoe  growers  that  a  marked  change  takes 
place  in  the  quality  of  the  tuber  when  the  .stem  and  leaves 
wither,  and  that  potatoes  taken  up  when  the  plant  is  still 
growing,  are  watery,  though  a  portion  of  the  same  plot,  if  of 
a  good  sort,  and  in  suitable  soil,  taken  up  a  few  weeks  later, 
will  be  found  light  and  mealy.  This  is  probably  owing  to  the 
deposition  of  starch  in  the  tuber  by  the  descent  of  the  sap, 
when  the  growth  of  the  plant  has  ceased,  and  is  apparently 
analogous  to  the  very  similar  process  described  by  Liebig  as 
taking  place  in  all  perennial  plants. 

"  All  the  carbonic  acid  which  the  plants,"  remarks  Liebig, 
speaking  of  perennial  only,  "  now  absorb,  is  employed  for 
the  production  of  nutritive  matter  for  the  following  year. 
Instead  of  woody  fibre,  starch  is  formed,  and  is  diffused 
through  every  part  of  the  plant  by  the  autumnal  sap."  To 
remove  every  doubt  on  the  subject,  however,  I  took  up  por- 
tions of  two  kinds  of  potatoes,  growing  in  very  different  situ- 
ations, and  a  ripe  and  unripe  sample  of  each,  to  an  analyzing 
chemist,  merely  numbering  the  samples,  and  requesting  to 
know  the  per  centage  of  starch  in  each.  The  result  was  as 
follows : 


72  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

Water.  Starch.  Dry  fibre. 

No.  1,       Black  Kidneys,     Unripe,     68.7     17.7       13.5 

No.  2,          do.         do.    '     Ripe,        72.0     17.9  10.0 

No.  3,      Round  Reds,         Unripe,     69.8     15.1  15.0 
No.  4,          do.         do.         Ripe,        73.8     17.9        8.2 

The  proportion  of  water  in  the  unripe  samples  here  seems 
to  be  four  per  cent,  less  than  in  the  ripe  samples,  having  been 
taken  up  some  weeks  earlier,  and  kept  out  of  the  ground 
until  the  others  were  considered  ripe  enough.  Neglecting 
the  water  as  unconnected  with  the  present  inquiry,  we  find  that 
the  proportion  of  starch  to  the  other  solid  matters  is  as 
177  :  135  in  the  unripe  kidneys,  but  as  179  :  100  in  the  ripe  ; 
or  reducing  both  to  a  common  measure,  he  have  : 

Starch:  other  solid  matters  :  :  131  :  100  in  the  unripe  kid- 
neys. :  :  179  :  100  in  the  ripe     do. 

In  the  round  reds  reducing  as  before  to  a  common  meas- 
ure : 

Starch :  other  solid  matters  :  :  100  -  100  in  the  unripe  reds. 

216  -  100  in  the  ripe        do. 

In  each  case  it  thus  appears  that  the  proportion  of  starch 
to  the  other  solid  matters  had  increased  considerably  in  the 
interval  which  had  elapsed  between  taking  up  the  ripe  and 
unripe  parcels.  The  remark  will  probably  be  made  here, 
that  though  an  increase  of  starch  has  undoubtedly  taken  place, 
yet  the  quantity  present  was  considerable  before,  why  then 
should  an  addition  to  it  injure  the  germinating  power  of  the 
set  ?  To  answer  this  question  it  is  necessary  to  state  briefly 
the  doctrine  propounded  by  the  most  eminent  vegetable 
physiologists  of  the  present  day,  who  affirm  that  during  the 
act  of  commencing  germination  a  substance  called  "  diastase," 
is  generated  from  the  nitrogenous  substances  contained  in 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  73 

the  germinating  seed,  which  diastase  assists  in  the  conver- 
sion of  starch  into  the  gum,  sugar,  &e.,  which  are  required 
for  the  nourishment  of  the  young-  shoot.  The  potatoe  con- 
tains a  very  small  per  centage  of  nitrogenous  matter.  I 
would,  therefore,  venture  the  suggestion  that  the  great  addi- 
tion made  in  the  process  of  ripening,  to  the  already  large  stock 
of  starch  contained  in  the  tuber,  may  be  more  than  can  be 
converted  into  the  gum,  sugar,  &c.,  by  the  small  quantity  of 
diastase  generated  in  the  germinating  potatoe.  If  this  be  the 
case,  then  it  would  follow  that  the  diastase  being  mixed  with 
too  large  a  proportion  of  starch  (like  leaven  mixed  with  too 
large  a  proportion  of  dough)  only  does  its  work  imperfectly, 
and  the  result  is  a  weakly  shobt,  whilst  a  portion  of  the 
starch,  failing  to  receive  the  vitalizing  influence  of  the  dias- 
tase, undergoes  the  natural  course  of  decay,  and  produces  the 
symptoms  peculiar  to  dry-rot,  wet-rot,  or  curl.  This  suppo- 
sition is,  of  course,  pure  theory,  and  must  not  be  confounded 
with  the  facts  on  which  it  is  based.  To  make  it  quite  clear 
where  the  one  ends  and  the  other  begins,  I  will  very  briefly 
recapitulate.  Facts  have  been  brought  forward  to  prove  that 
ripe  sets  are  subject  to  curl,  and  vice  versa,  also  that  a  large 
addition  is  made  to  the  quantity  of  starch  in  the  potatoe  in 
the  process  of  ripening.  Direct  experiment  also  proves  that 
"  diastase "  is  required  for  the  germination  of  seeds,  which 
diastase  can  only  be  formed  from  some  substance  containing 
nitrogen  ;  potatoes  contain  a  very  small  proportion  of  such  sub- 
stances, and  therefore  can  have  but  very  little  diastase.  Here 
our  facts  end,  but  from  these  premises  I  would  hazard  the 
deduction  that  if  we  allow  our  seed  potatoes  to  ripen,  they 
acquire  more  starch  than  can  be  made  available  to  the  grow- 
ing shoot ;  which  excess  naturally  decays,  and  then  infects 
and  injures,  or  even  destroys,  the  plant  with  which  it  is  con- 
nected. A  similar  effect  is  produced  in  the  human  subject 
when  more  food  is  taken  into  the  stomach  than  the  gastric 
7 


74  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

juice  is  able  properly  to  digest,  The  imperfectly  converted 
aliment  produces  various  kinds  of  inconvenience,  and,  if 
persevered  in,  derangement  of  the  whole  system,  though  the 
food  itself  in  moderation  may  be  perfectly  wholesome. 

It  would  be  doing  injustice  to  the  theory  before  stated,  if 
it  were  sent  forth  to  the  public  without  a  brief  notice  of 
some  of  the  objections  which  at  once  occur  to  those  conver- 
sant with  the  subject.  The  first  that  I  shall  allude  to  is, 
that  the  management  of  seed  potatoes  during  winter,  the 
mode  of  planting,  and  more  especially  the  nature  of  the 
season  after  planting,  exercise  a  very  decided  influence  in 
modifying  or  increasing  the  potatoe  failure ;  which,  at  first 
sight,  seems  hardly  reconcilable  with  the  supposition  that 
such  failure  is  dependent  on  the  degree  of  maturity  of  the 
seed  potatoes  when  harvested.  I  at  once  admit  that  if  seed 
potatoes  are  kept  in  too  large  a  heap  and  allowed  to  fer- 
ment, or  if  kept  so  warm  as  to  induce  excessive  growth 
during  winter,  or  in  any  other  way  are  so  treated  as  to 
weaken  their  vitality,  the  sets  will,  many  of  them,  fail,  and 
others  make  weak  and  unhealthy  shoots,  very  much  resem- 
bling, and  possibly  identical  with,  curl.  It  must  be  borne  in 
mind,  however,  that  though  I  consider  over-ripening  of  the 
seed  to  be  the  ordinary  cause  of  curl,  I  by  no  means  assert 
that  it  is  the  only  one.  I  am  well  aware  that  deficient  man- 
agement will,  especially  if  followed  by  long  drought,  produce 
failing  crops,  and  whether  such  failure  be  due  to  curl  or  not, 
^T  can  offer  no  opinion ;  but  the  great  puzzle  to  potatoe 
growers  has  been  that,  with  the  most  careful  management, 
failures  continually  occur,  and  these  failures  may,  I  think,  be 
traced  to  ripe  sets.  That  the  influence  of  season  is  great 
I  should  be  the  last  man  to  deny,  as  in  two  instances  where 
my  potatoe  crops  were  affected  with  curl,  (distinctly  traceable 
to  having  used  ripe  sets,)  they  continued  to  get  worse  so  long 
as  the  drought  lasted,  but  on  the  occurrence  of  heavy  rains 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  75 

they  improved  very  much ;  and  this  is  quite  in  keeping  with 
my  theory,  as  when  once  the  plant  has  a  stem  and  leaves 
whereby  to  elaborate  nourishment  from  the  atmosphere,  and 
roots  which  purvey  from  below,  a  large  supply  of  moisture 
will  give  it  such  an  abundant  flow  of  sap  that  the"  vitiated 
juices  of  the  decaying  set  will  both  be  very  much  diluted  and 
the  plant  will  derive  sufficient  vigor  from  external  sources 
to  outgrow  a  slight  ailment ;  whereas  in  a  droughty  season, 
the  plant  is  much  more  dependent  on  the  set,  and  this  at  such 
a  time  furnishes  the  poison  in  a  concentrated  form. 

The  next  objection  I  shall  notice  is,  that  one  of  the  best 
ways  of  getting  rid  of  curl  hitherto  known,  is  to  grow  the 
potatoes  intended  for  seed  on  a  piece  of  old  meadow  or  other 
land  that  has  been  long  uncropped.  This  is  easy  of  expla- 
nation. Fresh  land  contains  a  supply  of  food  which  hag 
been  accumulating  for  years,  and  accordingly  produces  a 
more  luxuriant  growth  and  later  maturity.  Every  one  must 
have  remarked  that  in  a  dry  season  plants  of  all  kinds  are 
less  fully  developed,  but  ripen  earlier.  This  is  doubtless 
owing  to  the  less  liberal  supply  of  nourishment  which  they 
receive;  for  even  where  the  land  is  abundantly  manured, 
plants  cannot  avail  themselves  of  it  without  moisture.  When 
a  plant  has  attained  a  certain  stage  of  growth,  even  though 
considerably  below  its  ordinary  developement,  should  its  sup- 
ply of  food  be  stinted,  either  in  consequence  of  drought,  or  of 
a  scarcity  of  the  necessary  elements  in  the  soil,  it  will  at  once 
proceed  to  form  and  mature  its  seed.  This  is  readily  observ- 
able in  the  case  of  weeds.  The  same  species  of  grass  which 
is  common  in  our  meadows  will  be  frequently  found  grow- 
ing by  a  roadside,  or  even  on  a  gravel  walk,  and  in  dry 
weather  will  flower  and  bear  seed,  though  so  stunted  and 
dwarfish  as  scarcely  to  be  recognizable.  This  will  occur  con- 
siderably earlier  in  the  season  than  the  time  of  ripening  of 
the  same  species  of  grass  in  an  ordinary  meadow,  and  again 


76  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

the  meadow-grown  plant  will  ripen  far  before  another  of  the 
same  species  grown  by  a  ditch  side  or  in  other  moist,  rich 
soil,  and  this  last  will  as  much  exceed  the  meadow  plant  in 
size  and  luxuriance  as  the  one  in  the  meadow  did  the  one  in 
the  gravel  walk.  The  Poa  annua  is  a  species  of  grass  which 
may  frequently  be  found  in  all  the  three  situations  above 
named.  That  potatoes  are  not  exempt  from  this  law  of 
nature  I  have  had  abundant  proof.  On  the  occasion  previ- 
ously mentioned,  where  I  planted  potatoes  on  a  piece  of  rich 
old  turf,  soaked  for  years  with  the  drainage  of  a  farm-yard, 
they  never  did  ripen,  but  grew  on  through  the  whole  autumn, 
and  were  as  green  and  vigorous  in  November  as  they  had 
been  in  July.  At  last  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  came,  with  a 
severe  frost,  and  in  forty-eight  hours  they  were  as  black  as 
if  they  had  been  burnt,  but  the  tubers  were  still  thoroughly 
unripe,  and  were  the  very  worst  on  the  table  and  made 
the  best  sets  that  I  have  ever  possessed.  In  1844  I  had 
also  a  strong  instance.  In  reclaiming  an  old  lane  some 
parts  had  to  be  lowered  and  some  hollows  to  be  filled  up, 
and  both  being  planted  with  potatoes  at  the  same  time,  those 
planted  where  the  old  hollows  had  been,  and  which  now  had 
a  considerable  depth  of  fresh  soil,  grew  considerably  taller 
and  ripened  some  weeks  later  than  those  on  the  ridges  whence 
the  soil  had  been  taken ;  though  even  in  these  places  consid- 
erable pains  were  taken  to  retain  as  much  of  the  surface  soil 
as  possible  ;  and  as  the  ridges  and  depressions  ran  parallel  to 
each  other  for  forty  or  fifty  yards  together,  the  marked  dif- 
ference in  the  time  of  ripening  caught  the  eye  at  once.  I 
have  also  frequently  observed  that  potatoes  planted  near 
hedgerow  trees  (especially  ash)  ripen  earlier  than  the  rest  of 
the  field.  It  thus  appears,  as  well  by  the  analogy  of  other 
plants  as  by  direct  observation  of  the  potatoe  itself,  that  a 
deficiency  of  nutriment  produces  early  maturity,  and  vice 
versa.  Fresh  soil,  it  will  at  once  be  admitted,  contains  an 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  77 

extra  supply  of  food ;  potatoes,  therefore,  grown  on  such  soil, 
will  be  in  a  growing  state  when  those  on  old-going  land  will 
be  quite  ripe,  and  if  harvested  together  the  former  will  be 
unripe  and  make  good  sets.  It  is  very  probable,  however, 
the  more  abundant  supply  of  all  the  elements  of  nutrition  to 
be  found  in  fresh  soil  may  have  a  considerable  effect,  and 
concur  with  the  under-ripening  of  the  seed  in  producing  a 
healthy  and  vigorous  plant. 


CHAPTER  II. 

A  View  of  the  different  Theories  entertained  on  the  Potatoe 
Plague* 

THE  article  from  Mr.  Thompson,  which  forms  a  large  part 
of  the  preceding  chapter,  has  been  given  almost  entirely  as  it 
was  originally  published,  because  it  contains,  I  believe,  the 
most  rational  theory  that  has  yet  been  promulgated  on  the 
nature,  cause,  and  cure  of  the  Potatoe  Plague.  It  is  true 
that  his  argument  does  not  extend  so  far  as  to  cover  the 
present  appearances  which  the  plague  has  assumed,  but  it 
leads  us  to  expect  results  precisely  similar  to  those  which  are 
now  recognized  with  reference  to  it,  and  may  be  regarded  as 
prophetic,  if,  indeed,  the  view  he  has  taken,  be  not  assigned  to 
the  true  cause,  namely,  a  discovery  of  the  causes  producing 
the  malady.  A  remarkable  feature  in  the  history  of  potatoe 
cultivation  is,  that  it  has  been  free  from  a  variety  of  diseases, 
though,  as  before  remarked,  it  has  been  subject  to  disease 
from  a  very  early  period  of  its  existence.  The  Curl  and  the 
Taint,  which  last  is  considered  a  modification  of  the  other,  are 
the  only  diseases  of  which  any  mention  is  made  by  writers  on 
the  subject,  from  its  first  introduction  as  a  field  crop  to  the 
present  time.  Now  Mr.  Thompson's  article,  though  it  is 
professedly  on  the  curl  in  potatoes,  looks  forward  to  a  devel- 
opement  of  this  disease,  assuming  a  malignant  type,  which 
would  ultimate,  as  he  has  predicted,  and  exactly  as  we  have 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  79 

experienced  in  the  present  crisis  of  the  potatoe  crop.  If  his 
view  be  correct,  and  we  believe  it  is,  we  need  look  no  fur- 
ther for  the  cause  of  the  disease,  for  it  is  evident  to  all,  that 
the  great  difficulty  in  finding  a  remedy  to  stay  the  progress 
of  this  fearful  calamity  has  been,  that  its  true  nature  was 
not  understood ;  but  being  understood,  a  remedy,  simple, 
and  universal  is  at  hand.  Before  entering  upon  this  part  of 
the  discussion,  however,  it  will  be  necessary  to  give  a  view 
of  other  theories  and  opinions  that  are  entertained,  together 
with  the  experience  and  statements  of  cultivators  in  different 
parts  of  the  country. 

A  writer  of  considerable  eminence  in  the  field  of  Agricul- 
tural literature,  says: 

"  The  first  symptom  of  degeneracy  of  the  plant  in  Scot- 
land, appeared  about  1780,  when  the  distemper  called  the 
curl  was  first  noticed  in  the  crop  ;  but  it  then  occurred  so 
rarely  that  very  little  notice  was  taken  of  it ;  the  evil  grad- 
ually and  extensively  increased,  when,  about  the  year  1784 
or  1785,  the  whole  crops  of  Lothian  were  seriously  affected 
by  it.  A  remedy,  however,  was  accidentally  discovered,  by 
changing  the  seed  from  the  high  country ;  and  this  was  and 
has  been  the  only  remedy  for  the  disease  of  the  curl  to  the 
present  day.  At  this  early  period  the  seed  procured  from  a 
high  country  had  to  be  changed  every  three  or  four  years, 
but  it  was  found,  as  the  cultivation  of  the  plant  increased,  so 
did  the  disease,  and  eventually  the  whole  seed  had  to  be 
changed  yearly,  as  it  was  found  a  new  disease  appeared  in 
the  fields  —  the  seed  only  partially  germinated  - —  great  blanks 
or  failures  took  place  —  and  many  farmers  lost  almost  their 
whole  crops.  This  disease  in  the  seed  was  called  the  wet 
and  dry  rot ;  and,  in  many  instances,  seed  from  all  situations, 
high  and  low,  has  now  also  failed.  These  two  kinds  of  dis- 
ease which  destroy  germination  have  been  variously  ac- 
counted for.  Some  ascribe  the  cause  to  maggots  and  flies, 


80  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

who  feed  upon  and  destroy  the  seed  plants ;  but  this  is  a 
consequence,  and  not  a  cause,  for  maggots  and  flies  are  only 
to  be  found  on  diseased  or  putrid  vegetables ;  they  riot  and 
•banquet  on  putrefaction ;  it  is  their  natural  food,  and  there 
they  are  only  to  be  found.  Plant,  then,  a  sound  potatoe  in 
a  good  soil,  and,  properly  treated,  it  will  find  its  way  to  the 
surface,  and  produce  a  good  crop  in  defiance  of  maggots 
and  flies. 

The  seeds  of  disease,  then,  must  be  in  the  constitution  of  the 
plant. 

In  examining  a  diseased  potatoe,  which  has  blind  eyes,  and 
will  not  germinate,  it  is  plain  that  there  is  canker  on  the 
skin,  and  plague  spots  all  over  it.  This,  if  planted,  will  cer- 
tainly be  attacked  by  the  maggots  and  flies ;  but  the  plant  is 
in  a  state  of  decay  or  putrefaction  —  in  fact  a  caput  mortuum 
—  and  it  properly  belongs  to  the  flies  and  maggots  by  right 
of  inheritance.  The  great  object  to  be  attained,  then,  is  to 
plant  sound  seed,  and  the  maggots  and  flies  will  not  relish 
it.  It  is  generally  allowed,  and  the  idea  has  been  long  enter- 
tained, that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  raise  seed  potatoes  in  low 
situations  or  in  a  high  temperature,  without  being  affected 
with  the  curl ;  but  at  an  altitude  of  four  hundred  feet  it 
entirely  disappears.  In  this  there  appears  to  be  a  very  re- 
markable peculiarity  in  the  nature  and  constitution  of  the 
plant ;  but  in  looking  to  its  origin,  general  history,  cultivation 
and  general  management  in  this  country,  —  its  success  and 
failure,  —  I  have  been  led  to  a  far  different  conclusion.  In- 
deed, from  what  I  have  already  stated,  it  must  clearly  appear 
to  every  one,  that  there  can  be  only  one  cause  for  the  fail- 
ure of  the  potatoe  plant,  to  wit,  over-cultivation. 

The  first  practical  experience  of  failure  which  I  met  with 
on  my  own  farm,  struck  me  most  forcibly.  In  the  year 
1 837, 1  had  a  small  quantity  of  potatoes  for  seed,  which  I  had 
received  from  high  grounds.  I  thought  them  very  fine,  and 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  81 

having  selected  the  best  for  seed,  I  manured  the  ground 
heavily  in  the  drill,  with  the  richest  and  best  dung  on  the 
farm,  in  order  to  have  as  many  as  possible  for  planting  the 
succeeding  year.  The  extent  of  the  ground  was  about  an 
acre,  and  I  certainly  obtained  an  excellent  crop.  But  as  I 
never  planted  a  whole  field  in  the  same  way  without  some 
variation  by  way  of  experiment,  a  few  drills  of  similar  seed 
were  placed  next  to  them,  very  moderately  manured.  At 
the  time  of  taking  up  the  crop,  the  .plants  were  still  green 
in  the  tops.  The  few  drills  already  mentioned  were  pitted 
on  the  end  of  a  pit  not  meant  for  seed,  and  the  produce  of  the 
acre  was  pitted  by  themselves.  Next  season  I  planted  the 
greater  part  of  the  produce  of  the  acre  in  the  usual  way,  and 
lost  one  third  of  the  crop,  I  also  planted  the  produce  of  the 
few  drills  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  had  a  little  curl,  but  not 
a  single  blank* 

My  view  is  that  a  heavy  or  over-grown  crop  of  potatoes, 
in  any  soil  or  situation,  will  always  yield  bad  seed  potatoes ; 
and  that  over-cultivation  is  the  sole  or  chief  cause  of  the  de- 
generacy of  the  plant ;  and  all  my  experience  completely 
confirms  me  in  this  position, 

I  come  now,  says  this  writer,  to  the  cure,  or  remedy  of 
.the  disease,  or  the  best  means  of  procuring  and  raising  good 
seed.  I  would  recommend  to  select  the  best  varieties,  and 
raise  from  the  apple ;  but,  in  the  mean  time,  to  have  the 
best  and  soundest  seed  for  present  planting, — always,  of 
course,  avoiding  the  produce  of  a  great  crop,  grown  in  any 
situation  or  soil.  The  land  intended  for  seed  should  be 
ploughed  deep  in  the  autumn.  The  drills  to  be  thirty  inches 
wide,  and  manured  moderately,  with  a  mixture  of  earth,  and 
if  earth  has  not  been  previously  mixed  with  the  manure,  a  little 
may  be  drawn  into  the  drills  above  the  manure,  and  before 
planting  the  seed.  The  ground  intended  for  seed  should  be 
planted  with  whole  potatoes,  and  about  fourteen  inches  apart, 


82  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

or  the  potatoe  cut  into  two  pieces,  and  planted  at  ten  inches, 
(both  may  be  tried ;)  the  plants  to  be  placed  near  the  sur- 
face, and  never  highly  earthed  up  by  the  plough,  as  it  is  nat- 
ural for  the  tubers  of  the  plant  to  run  upwards,  and  the  more 
of  them  that  may  be  exposed  to  the  sun  and  air  in  ripening, 
will  make  so  much  better  seed.  They  should  be  taken  up 
rather  green  and  unripe  than  otherwise,  but  approaching  to  a 
ripe  state.  They  should  be  placed  in  pits,  (in  an  airy  situ- 
ation,) of  about  two  and  a  half  feet  at  bottom ;  the  pits  may  be 
made  of  tolerable  length.  They  should  have  first  a  little 
earth  thrown  over  them  —  say,  half  an  inch  —  and  then  a 
good  covering  of  straw,  finishing  with  a  few  inches  deep  of 
earth,  as  it  is  the  straw  which  will  defend  them  from  frost, 
and  a  few  straw  funnels  at  a  short  distance  is  all  that  is 
necessary. 

In  stating  the  cause  of  the  potatoe  rot,  a  correspondent  of 
the  Maine  Farmer,  E.  G<  Buxton,  states  an  experiment 
which  he  made  in  growing  some  potatoes  in  the  cellar,  in  a 
dark  place,  and  they  were  affected  with  rot,  like  those  raised 
in  the  field.  From  this  he  infers  that  the  disease  is  not 
caused  by  rust,  heat,  cutting  the  seed,  &c.,  but  that  the  cause 
is  in  the  potatoe.  Some  person,  commenting  on-  this,  at- 
tributes the  cause  to  disease  in  the  previous  crop,  which  was 
not  perceptible,  and  was  transmitted  to  the  new  produce. 

Several  pamphlets  on  this  subject  have  been  published  in 
Great  Britain  and  France,  the  contents  of  which,  and  the 
views  entertained  by  their  compilers  with  regard  to  the  causes 
and  remedies  for  the  malady,  I  shall  now  briefly  state. 

In  the  Comptes  rendus,*  M.  Payen  states  the  result  of  his 
chemical  investigations.  He  finds  what  he  calls  the  dry 
matter,  that  is  to  say,  all  except  the  water,  diminished  in 
quantity  to  the  extent  of  twelve  per  cent.  The  diseased  part 

#  Comptes  rendus  Hebdomadaires,  &c.,  Nos.  13  to  16.    Paris,  1845. 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  83 

is  twice  as  heavy  as  the  healthy,  which  he  attributes  to  the 
presence  of  a  parasite.  The  loss  of  starch  amounts  to  twenty 
per  cent.  There  is  present  an  azotized  matter,  having  the 
same  composition  as  fungi.  All  the  chemical  phenomena 
point  to  the  action  of  such  parasites,  and  not  to  spontaneous 
fermentation.  Messrs.  Girardin  and  Bidard,  on  the  other 
hand,  deny  the  presence  of  parasites.  They  find  no  other 
indication  of  their  presence  than  what  occurs  in  all  cases  of 
fermentation.  They  regard  the  disease  as  the  result  of  sim- 
ple fermentation,  induced  by  the  unfavorable  season.  They 
recommended  perfectly  rotten  potatoes  to  be  crushed  in  tubs, 
to  be  thoroughly  washed,  by  which  means  the  foul  odor  is 
removed,  and  then,  after  draining,  to  be  pressed  into  cakes, 
which  may  be  dried  in  ovens  after  the  bread  is  withdrawn, 
and  given  to  cattle.  M.  Durand  attributes  the  disease  to 
atmospheric  causes,  favored  by  local  circumstances.  He 
knew  it  in  former  years,  when  potatoes  were  grown  in  damp 
places.  He  denies  the  statement  that  the  stems  were  always 
affected  before  the  tubers,  and  he  states  that  dryness  and 
darkness  are  certain  safeguards  for  the  crop.  Three  hundred 
Hectolities  have  been  thus  preserved  for  a  month  without 
change,  and  yet  they  had  not  been  very  carefully  sorted.  M. 
Gerard  adverts  to  the  admitted  fact  that  the  disease  attacked 
the  potatoes  between  the  10th  and  15th  of  August.  He  is 
opposed  to  the  idea  that  animal  or  vegetable  parasitism  is 
connected  with  it  as  a  cause,  and  he  ascribes  the  disease  to  the 
presence  of  a  brown  matter  "  which  seems  to  glue  the  starch 
grains  together,  and  to  prevent  their  separation."  He  at- 
tributes its  presence  to  unfavorable  atmospheric  causes,  which 
caused  the  nutritive  fluids  to  stagnate,  and  thus  produced  an 
alteration  which  ended  in  decay. 

A  Mr.  Spooner  has  published  a  pamphlet  which  is  chiefly 
addressed  to  the  question  of  converting  potatoes  into  starcho. 


84  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

He  ascribes  the  disease  to  frost,  which,  however,  did  "  not  act 
directly  on  the  tuber ;  but  indirectly  through  the  leaves." 

Mr.  Phillips  has  instituted  a  careful  investigation  of  all  the 
facts  connected  with  the  disease,  and  has  collected  some  use- 
ful information.  He  is  unable  to  find  fungi,  and  ascribes  the 
evil  to  too  much  moisture,  the  effect  of  long  continued  rains, 
which  "stimulated  the  plant  beyond  its  ability,  and  then 
overpowered  it.  The  plant  formed  more  pendulums,  (sic) 
and  tubers,  than  it  could  support,  which  being  left  to  them- 
selves, putrefied,"  &c.  Near  the  end  of  this  pamphlet  is  a 
statement,  that  if  the  potatoe  fields  had  been  divided  by 
trenches  into  compartments,  the  author  has  no  doubt  that  the 
present  disease  would  have  been  warded  off.  Mr.  Phillips 
does  not  seem  to  be  aware  that  what  are  called  lazybeds  in 
Ireland,  are  made  exactly  upon  his  plan,  and,  unfortunately, 
they  are  very  far  from  having  proved  any  security  against 
the  disease.  The  fact,  moreover,  is,  that  the  best  drained 
land  has  been  as  much,  or  more  attacked,  than  the  worst. 

Mr.  Buckman  regards  fungi  analogous  to  that  which  pro- 
duces smut  in  barley,  as  concerned  in  the  evil.  '  He  finds 
their  seeds,  (spores)  sticking  abundantly  to  the  sides  of  the 
cells,  and  calls  the  species  Uredo  tuberosum.  He  does  not, 
however,  regard  the  Uredo  as  the  basis  and  origin  of  the 
evil ;  he  looks  upon  it  as  a  mere  effect  attributable  to  the 
peculiar  state  of  a  late  season.  As  remedies,  he  advocates  a 
solution  of  chloride  of  lime,  or  chlorine  gas ;  but  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  any  personal  experience  of  their  advantage. 
He  also  mentions  the  following  plan,  adopted  by  Mr.  Sclater, 
a  large  potatoe  grower  of  Exeter,  as  effectually  stopping  the 
further  ravages  of  the  disease.  Soak  the  tubers  for  an  hour 
in  a  weak  solution  of  chloride  of  lime.  Then  dry  well  and 
soak  for  another  hour  in  a  solution  of  three  pounds  common 
soda  in  seventy-five  quarts  of  water.  Finally,  dry  them 
well,  and  store  them  in  a  dry  place.  We  are  persuaded  that 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  85 

these  plans,  which  have  been  so  much  advocated,  all  resolve 
themselves  into  one  and  only  one  process,  which  is,  main- 
taining dryness. 

The  official  circular  of  the  Poor  Law  Commissioners,  con- 
tains an  extract  from  an  official  paper  published  in  the  United 
States,  on  the  potatoe  disease  in  1843.  It  appears  from  this 
document  that  the  evil  was  ascribed  to  heavy  rains  and  early 
snows. 

An  able  writer  in  the  Gardener's  Chronicle,  G.  S.  Mac- 
kenzie, Bart.,  says :  "  I  formerly  suggested  that  an  insect 
had  caused  the  disease  of  the  potatoe.  There  now  seems  to 
be  some  reason^  for  believing  that  it  has  been  injured  by 
various  causes,  and  that  there  is  more  than  one  disease  at 
work.  While  examining  a  number  of  diseased  tubers,  in  one 
(and  one  only)  I  found  two  small  maggots  luxuriating  in  the 
rotten  matter.  On  mentioning  this  circumstance,  I  found 
that  some  other  persons  had  observed  the  same  thing.  In 
many  potatoes  I  noticed  round  holes  and  cavities  connected 
with  them,,  in  which  larvae  had,  no  doubt,  fed.  But  there 
was  no  appearance  of  disease,  the  wounds  having  dried  up 
In  many  cases  the  substance  of  the  potatoe  had  been  con- 
verted into  matter  of  a  corky  consistence ;  in  the  greatest 
number  the  substance  was  a  mass  of  wet  rottenness. 

I  now  give  the  opinion  of  Professor  Liebig,  published 
November  5.  He  says,  "  The  researches  I  have  undertaken 
upon  the  sound  and  diseased  potatoes  of  the, present  year,  have 
disclosed  to  me  the  remarkable  fact,  that  they  contain,  in  the 
sap,  a  considerable  quantity  of  vegetable  casein  (cheese)  pre- 
cipitable  by  acids.  This  constituent  I  did  not  observe  in  my 
previous  researches.  It  would  then  appear  that  from  the 
influence  of  the  weather,  or  generally  speaking,  from  atmos- 
pheric causes,  a  part  of  the  vegetable  albumen  which  prevails, 
in  the  potatoe,  has  become  converted  into  vegetable  casein.. 
The  great  instability  of  this  last  substance  is  well  known  ; 
8 


86  The  Potatoe  Plague, 

hence  the  facility  with  which  the  potatoe  containing  it  under- 
goes putrefaction.  Any  injury  to  health  from  the  use  of 
these  potatoes  is  out  of  the  question,  and  nowhere  in  Ger- 
many has  such  an  effect  been  observed.  It.  may  be  of  some 
use  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  diseased  potatoes  may 
easily  and  at  little  expense,  be  preserved  for  a  length  of 
time,  and  afterwards  employed  in  various  ways,  by  cutting 
them  into  slices  about  one  quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  and  im- 
mersing them  in  water  containing  two  to  three  per  cent,  of 
sulphuric  acid.  After  twenty-four  or  thirty-six  hours  the 
liquor  may  be  drawn  off,  and  all  remains  of  it  washed  away 
by  steeping  in  successive  portions  of  fre§h  water.  Treated 
in  this  manner  the  potatoes  are  easily  dried.  The  pieces  are 
white  and  of  little  weight,  and  can  be  ground  to  flour  and 
baked  into  bread  along  with  the  flour  of  wheat.  I  think  it 
probable  that  the  diseased  potatoes,  after  being  sliced  and  kepi 
for  some  time  in  contact  with  weak  sulphuric  acid,  so  as  to 
be  penetrated  by  the  acid,  may  be  preserved  in  that  state  in 
pits. 

An  advocate  of  the  theory  that  the  disease  is  caused  by 
fungus,  gives  the  following  statement:  —  "That  this  disease 
is  occasioned  by  a  fungus  in  the  leaf,  I  have  no  doubt,  and 
such  I  believe  is  the  public  opinion  in  general.  I  am  equally 
well  assured  that  the  gangrene  or  mortification  is  a  mere  con- 
sequence of  the  fungus.  If  a  certain  predisposition  in  the 
potatoe  plant,  occasioned  by  an  advanced  state  of  the  ele- 
ments themselves,  were  alone  necessary  to  give  unbounded 
scope  to  this  fungus,  how,  I  would  ask,  has  it  happened,  that 
this  strange  condition  of  atmosphere  has  never  occurred  be- 
fore, since  the  introduction  of  the  potatoe  from  South  Ameri- 
ca —  now,  I  believe,  nearly  two  hundred  years  ?  Or,  shall  it 
be  said  that  the  disease  is  indeed  new  to  Europe?  On  look- 
ing over  the  weather  registries  for  the  month  of  August,  I 
find  that  S.  W.,  W.,  and  N.  W.  winds  prevailed  through 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  87 

the  whole  month1;  and  even  extended  into  September,  and 
this  is,  I  should  conceive,  an  extraordinary  direction  in  re- 
gard to  their  continuity.  Everybody  has  seen,  according  to 
the  old  phrase,  "  motes  dancing  in  the  sunbeams."  Now,  as 
to  the  sporules  of  various  fungi,  why  may  it  not  be  possible 
for  them  to  possess  so  little  specific  gravity  as  to  be  lighter 
than  their  own  volume  of  air  —  to  ascend  thereby  in  common 
with  mists  —  to  be  incorporated  with  clouds  —  to  traverse 
thousands  of  miles  in  a  few  days,  and  to  descend  as  propa- 
gandists wherever  the  winds  choose  to  carry  them,  or  for 
condensation  to  take  place  ?  In  conclusion  I  beg  to  say  that 
J.  would  not  attempt  to  repudiate  the  idea  of  predisposition 
altogether,  but  merely  direct  the  attention  of  the  public  to 
facts  probably  equally  important. 

Whatever  may  be  the  origin  of  the  fungus,  says  another 
writer,  depend  upon  it,  perseverance  must  be  resorted  to  in 
order  to  get  rid  of  it;  if  tubers  are  planted  with  a  particle  of 
it  on  them,  and  the  season  proves  again  congenial  for  its 
spread,  it  will  again  destroy  the  crop.  As  a  proof  of  this  JL 
planted  a  few  infected  potatoes,  without  putting  into  practice 
the  precaution  I  have  used  with  my  other  potatoes,  and  the 
•consequence  is  that  the  obnoxious  pest  made  its  appearance 
in  its  usual  blotchings,  while  a  quantity  of  others,  which  I 
had  stored  in  perfectly  dry  charred  articles,  are  growing 
away  healthily ;  a  quantity  with  foliage  and  stalks  above  a 
foot  in  height,  clear  from  spot  or  blemish,  looks  at  present  as 
well  as  could  be  wished.  Depend  upon  it,  the  recommenda- 
tion to  shake  lime  about  the  tubers  previous  to  planting,  is 
most  essential  to  prevent  the  further  spread  of  the  fungi,  let 
the  latter  originate  in  whatever  form  they  may,  and  should 
foe  immediately  put  into  practice.  Supposing  every  tuber 
intended  for  next  season's  production  to  be  individually  dredg- 
ed with,  lime,  an  active  boy  would  dredge  a  large  quantity  in 
.•a  day  ;  the  expense  would  be  trifling,  either  for  material  or 


88  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

labor ;  for  lime  can  be  easily  procured  in  any  quarter ;  for 
dredging,  a  box  with  Dholes  is  all  that  is  required, 

It  appears  to  me,  remarks  another  writer,  that  the  disease 
primarily  attacks  the  stem,  and  I  think  the  view  I  take  of 
the  subject  holds  good  in  some  cases,  if  not  all.  I  maintain 
that  it  is  a  disease  of  the  fluids ;  the  descending  sap  becomes 
poisoned  by  the  generation  of  unwholesonie  gasses  in  the 
stem  ;  from  the  excessive  moisture  prevalent  through  this  sea- 
son, the  proper  exhalation  of  the  plant  has  not  been  carried 
on;  thus  we  find  that  the  stem  undergoes  decomposition, 
instead  of  gradual  decay,  and  this  deteriorates  the  descending 
sap,  which,  passing  to  the  root,  poisons,  as  it  were,  the  tubers. 
My  own  potatoes,  which  were  planted  on  new  ground,  on  a 
very  steep  slope,  are  not  in  the  least  affected.  Where  they 
were  grown  on  higher  ground,  the  tops  died  early,  and  the 
tubers  are  as  healthy  as  possible.  Before  the  last  rain  I  dug 
about  a  rood  —  both  from  the  lower  and  the  higher  ground, 
and  all  were  equally  sound.  A  few  rows  remained,  which  I 
was  prevented  by  the  rain  from  digging  up ;  these  I  have 
since  gathered,  and  they  have  shown  symptoms  of  disease ; 
the  tops  were  fine,  but  after  the  rain  they  were  all  matted 
together.  During  their  growth  I  never  saw  tops  have  a 
more  luxuriant  appearance,  clear  and  fresh,  with  nothing  like 
specks  on  the  leaves  or  stems.  Another  thing  which  leads 
me  to  consider  the  sap  as  poisoned,  is  the  great  rapidity  with 
which  the  tubers  decay.  They  appear  healthy  to  all  out- 
ward appearance ;  still,  in  many  cases,  if  they  are  kept  sev- 
eral days  before  they  are  stored  away,  the  specks  are  mani- 
fest ;  first,  of  a  dingy  hue,  then  darker  colored,  and  afterwards 
becoming  soft  and  rotten.  If  this  really  is  the  case,  I  do  not 
see  of  what  use  any  of  the  methods  as  yet  proposed  can  be. 
Had  the  leaves  or  stems  of  my  potatoes  showed  any  signs  of 
specks,  I  would  have  pulled  the  stems  out  of  the  ground,  leav- 
ing the  tubers  a  while  before  I  dug  them  up ;  this  would  have 


Hie  Potatoe  Plague.  89 

prevented  any  bad  effect  from  a  deteriorated  sap.  A  proof 
might  be  obtained  by  comparing  the  analysis  of  an  unsound 
potatoe  with  that  of  a  sound  one. 

Mr.  J.  E.  Teschemacher,  who  favors  the  theory  of  fungus, 
thus  writes  to  the  editor  of  the  New  England  Farmer : 

I  hear,  every  day,  of  instances  of  parcels  stored  in  cellars, 
apparently  sound  when  put  in,  which  are  now  totally  worth- 
less. Depend  upon  it,  unless  some  remedy  be  found,  it  will 
hardly  be  worth  while  to  plant  potatoes  another  year. 

In  order  that  I  may  not  be  misunderstood,  I  will  now  suc- 
cinctly state  my  opinions  on  this  subject. 

*  I  think  that  salt,  lime,  and  several  compounds,  will  destroy 
the  disease.  I  prefer  salt,  because,  when  mixed  in  the  soil, 
it  may  get  into  the  juices,  and  circulate  through  the  whole 
plant.  Lime,  or  lime  water,  would  do  the  same-to  a  certain 
extent,  but  it  is  far  less  soluble  than  salt. 

The  fungus  I  have  seen,  vegetates  upon  and  thickens  the 
sides  of  the  cells  of  which  the  potatoe  is  composed,  which 
cells  contain  the  grains  of  starch.  The  starch  is  not  injured 
until  the  sides  of  the  cells,  rotted  by  the  fungus,  burst  —  the 
worms  or  maggots  breed,  and  the  whole  finally  becomes  a 
mass  of  putridity,  with  an  offensive,  fungus-like  smell. 

I  saw  in  your  last  week's  paper,  several  cases  of  the  dis- 
ease occurring  where  sea-weed  had  been  used,  and  also  near 
the  sea-shore.  These  cases  would  seem  to  militate  against 
the  idea  of  salt  being  a  cure.  But  they  are  very  far  from 
convincing  me,  for  the  following  reasons  :  The  salt  atmos- 
phere near  the  sea,  may  not  have  contained  one-tenth  enough 
gait  to  destroy  the  rot,  or  the  prevailing  winds  there  may  not 
have  spread  the  spray  in  sufficient  quantity.  And  with  re- 
spect to  sea-weed,  in  a  late  London  journal,  there  are  analy- 
ses of  four  different  kinds  of  sea-weed,  performed  by  burning 
the  weed  and  analyzing  the  ashes- 
8* 


90  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

Ashes.        Salt. 

iLaminaria  saccharina  gave  to  100  Ibs.  about  10    Ib.     3  Ib. 
Fucus  vesiculosus  "         100    "       "       20|  «       G^ " 

Fucus  serratus  "         100    «       "       26    «     10   « 

Fucus  crispus,  or 

Chondria  crispa  "         100    "       «       25  \ «       4f" 

They  varied  also  considerably  in  the  other  ingredients. 
^Now,  when  this  great  difference  exists  in  the  quantity  of  salt 
in  different  sea- weeds  just  taken  from  the  sea,  and  when  it  is 
considered  that  the  sea-weed  is  often  made  into  a  .compost, 
turned  over  and  exposed  to  all  kinds  of  weather,  by  which 
salt  may  be  washed  out,  it  must  be  obvious  that  no  true 
judgment  can  be  formed  of  its'  effects  on  the  potatoe  disease, 
unless  the  kind  of  sea-weed,  and  all  the  attendant  circum- 
stances, be  taken  into  account.  The  spores  of  the  fungus,  in 
the  cases  alluded  to,  might  have  been,  and  most  probably 
were,  so  numerous,  that  the  salt  thus  adventitiously  obtained, 
was  not  sufficient  to  destroy  them. 

In  a  paper  transmitted  to  the  N.  Y.  State  Agricultural 
Society,  (alluded  to  in  a  former  communication,)  I  recom- 
mended an  analysis  of  sound  potatoes,  and  a  parallel  one  of 
those  just  contaminated  by  the  rot ;  and  this  to  be  done,  not 
in  the  usual  way,  by  reducing  to  ashes,  but  by  expressing  the 
juices  and  analyzing  them.  This  would  show  whether  there 
was  any  difference  in  the  ingredients  that  might  be  consider- 
ed as  offering  favorable  circumstances  for  fungus  vegetation. 
The  analysis  by  incineration  should  also  be  tried.  For,  if 
salt  destroys  the  fungus,  as  my  own  eyes  as  well  as  those  of 
others  have  seen,  it  is  a  fair  presumption  that  if  we  can  get  a 
solution  of  salt  into  the  juices  of  the  plant,  in  any  shape,  that 
it  will  be  unfavorable  to  the  vegetation  of  the  spores. 

Until  I  see  a  number  of  experiments  fairly  tried  with  salt, 
lime,  &c.,  and  they  have  failed,  I  shall  not  be  persuaded  that 
the  views  I  have  taken  of  these  as  remedies  for  the  potatoe 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  91 

evil,  are  erroneous,  —  and  should  they  prove  of  no  value, 
I  am  quite  ready  to  give  them  up  and  try  again. 

A.  B.  Allen,  Editor  of  the  American  Agriculturalist  thus 
sums  up,  in  a  few  words,  the  whole  subject.  The  disease  is 
probably  a  fungus.  The  best  remedies  are  salt,  lime  and 
charcoal.  We  recommend  procuring  new  seedlings,  and  be 
very  careful  not  to  let  them  get  mixed  with  old  ones.  Plant 
next  spring  without  other  manures  than  plaster,  salt,  lime, 
charcoal  or  ashes.  A  good  sod,  with  the  addition  of  the 
other  materials,  will  be  sufficiently  rich  to  raise  a  large  crop ; 
and,  depend  upon  it,  if  the  seed  be  of  a  good  variety,  and  it 
escapes  the  rot,  the  crop  will  be  sweet,  mealy,  and  highly 
nutritious  —  the  best  for  anjmals  as  well  as  for  man. 

As  the  disease  is  more  generally  attributed  to  the  attacks 
of  fungi  than  to  any  other  cause,  a  few  remarks  on  the  cause 
of  fungi,  will  not  be  inappropriate  to  this  inquiry,  and  I  give 
them  place  here.  A  writer  in  the  Farmers'  Cabinet  says  — 

Close  observation  will  show,  that  all  plants  of  the  fungi 
tribe  grow  where  there  is  a  deficiency  of  alkalies.  We  never 
see  mushrooms,  toadstools,  or  any  thing  of  the  kind,  grow  on 
or  near  a  heap  of  ashes  or  lime.  But  we  almost  invari&ly 
see  them  growing  on  or  near  a  pile  of  stable  dung,  or  any 
thing  yielding  a  large  proportion  of  carbonic  acid.  The  cause 
of  this  is  easily  demonstrated  by  chemistry.  A  chemical 
analysis  of  plants  of  the  fungi  tribe,  will  show  that  they  con- 
tain an  extremely  small  proportion  of  alkali,  far  smaller  than 
any  other  class  of  vegetables.  The  fact  is  of  the  highest  im- 
portance to  farmers ;  by  its  aid  they  can  always  tell  when 
their  soils  need  alkaline  substances  to  make  them  more  pro- 
ductive, without  going  to  the  trouble  and  expense  of  a  chemi- 
cal analysis  of  the  soil  for  that  purpose.  Upon  whatever 
spot  of  ground  the  fungi  make  their  appearance,  there  is  a 
want  of  alkali,  and  no  time  should  be  lost  in  supplying  it,  if 
we  would  raise  profitable  crops ;  for  such  crops  as  wheat, 


92  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

corn,  oats,  hay,  potatoes,  &c.,  will  not  grow  well  there,  even 
if  they  are  supplied  with  the  very  best  stable  manure.  They 
need  ashes,  lime,  &c.,  in  such  places,  and  they  cannot  do  with- 
out them. 

The  fungi  being  composed  principally  of  carbon,  oxygen, 
and  hydrogen,  feed  upon  carbonic  acid  and  water  chiefly,  and 
consequently  if  lime  or  potash  be  added  to  the  soil  where 
they  grow,  and  the  carbonic  acid  be  thereby  changed  into  a 
salt,  the  fungi  have  nothing  to  feed  upon,  and  therefore  die, 
for  they  cannot  feed  upon  a  salt. 

When  the  potatoe  crop  has  been  furnished  with  sufficient 
alkali,  particularly  potash,  and  the  carbonic  acid  in  it  is  in 
the  form  of  a  carbonate,  the  fungi  have  nothing  to  feed  on, 
and  do  not  attack  the  potatoe.  On  the  other  hand,  when 
there  is  not  sufficient  alkali  given  to  the  potatoe  crop  to  cause 
the  carbonic  acid  to  form  a  salt  by  union  with  such  alkali, 
then  the  carbonic  acid  in  the  potatoe  is  in  its  own  form  of 
carbonic  acid,  and  as  such  the  sickly  root  offers  the  proper 
food  to  the  fungi,  and  it  avails  itself  of  it ;  unfortunately  for 
doing  so,  it  brings  down  upon  itself  the  charge  of  being  the 
cause  of  the  potatoe  disease.* 

The  same  is  the  case  with  other  plants.  If  they  lack  alkali 
to  form  a  salt  in  connection  with  the  carbonic  acid  they  re- 
ceive, the  superabundant  carbonic  acid  will  give  nutrition  to 
the  seeds  of  fungi,  and  they  will  sprout  and  grow.  We  see 
this  effect  produced  in  wheat  in  the  case  of  mildew,  rust,  or 
blight,  and  also  smut  in  the  same  plant,  the  ergit  in  rye,  the 
"  devil's  snuff-box  "  in  corn,  the  mildew  in  oats,  buckwheat 


=*Some  of  the  practical  chemists  of  this  city,  with  their  balances,  tests,  &c., 
might  do  the  agricultural  community  a  great  service  in  connection  with 
this  matter,  by  analyzing  sound  potatoes,  and  giving  their  constituents ; 
and  then  analyzing  the  rotten  potatoes,  and  giving  their  constituents  also. 
The  public  might  then  compare  them,  and  see  what  was  wanted,  and  sup- 
ply it. 


The  Potaioe  Plague.  93 

and  the  grasses,  and  the  mossy  growth  on  the  bark  of  fruit 
and  other  trees.  This  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact,  that  if 
we  apply  strong  alkalies  in  sufficient  quantities  to  any  of  these 
plants,  before  they  are  attacked  by  the  fungi,  they  will  not  be 
attacked ;  and  if  we  supply  them  after  they  are  attacked, 
they  will  soon  he  freed  from  them.  It  is  to  this  purpose  that 
our  most  successful  farmers  and  fruit  raisers  apply  salt  and 
lime  to  protect  wheat  from  rust,  mildew  or  blight,  and  smut, 
and  put  ashes  and  lime  upon  corn  to  protect  it  from  the 
"  snuff-box,"  and  sow  ashes  on  potatoes  to  save  them  from 
the  rot,  and  wash  fruit  trees  with  whale  oil,  soap  or  other 
alkaline  substances,  to  restore  them  to  health. .  These  alka- 
line substances,  too,  by  uniting  with  the  carbonic  acid,  pre- 
vent the  commencement  of  decay.  This  commencement  in 
all  carboniferous  substances,  is  called,  in  chemistry,  the  sac- 
charine fermentation,  the  product  of  which  is  a  sweet  sub- 
stance, which  gives  food  to  flies,  bugs,  &c.,  and  which  flies 
and  bugs  are  also  charged  by  other  scientific  gentlemen,  with 
being  the  cause  of  the  potatoe  rot,  and  other  diseases  of 
plants.  The  Hessian  fly,  in  my  opinion,  finds  nothing  suited 
to  its  palate  in  a  healthy  stalk  of  wheat,  or  one  that  has 
enough  alkali,  and  therefore  does  not  attack  it ;  but  in  a  sickly 
plant,  or  one  with  a  deficiency  of  alkali,  she  finds  the  sweet  sub- 
stance upon  which  she  .feeds,  and  there  lays  her  eggs ;  which 
eggs,  in  the  course  of  time,  hatch  and  produce  worms,  and  if 
the  plant  is  in  such  a  condition  as  to  furnish  food  for  these 
worms,  they  will  still  remain  there  ;  but  a  healthy  plant  will 
not  furnish  that  food,  —  the  same  in  regard  to  the  wheat 
worm,  muck  worm,  and  all  other  worms  that  attack  plants. 
I  am  led  to  this  conclusion  by  numerous  observations  and 
some  experiments.  -  I  have  found  that  where  there  was  a 
proper  quantity  of  alkaline  substances,  plants  were  not  injur- 
ed by  worms,  bugs,  or  flies,  in  any  other  way  than  by  being 
eaten  up  by  them.  And,  indeed,  they  are  not  so  apt  to  be 


94  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

eaten  when  they  have  a  sufficiency  of  alkalies,  for  by  their 
aid  they  form  carbonate  of  lime,  phosphate  of  lime,  silicate  of 
potash,  &c.,  and  make  their  stalks  and  leaves  so  hard  and 
strong  as  to  be  almost  impenetrable  to  the  attacks  of  many 
insects  that  infest  them.  And  their  juices  are  so  insipi<J  that 
they  are  not  so  well  relished  by  such  insects. 


CHAPTER    III. 

Causes  of  the  Disease,  and  Remedies  Stated, 

I  HAVE  now  given,  as  fully  as  my  limits"  would  permit,  the 
most  important  particulars  concerning  the  history,  cultivation, 
and  diseases  of  the  potatoe.  I -have  given  the  various  theo- 
ries that  are  entertained  respecting  the  prevailing  disease, 
and  come  now  to  state  what  I  consider  to  be  the  causes  of  the 
malady  that  threatens  a  total  destruction  of  the  potatoe  crop 
of  the  world,  and  the  appropriate  and  simple  remedies  that 
will  be  found  efficacious  in  staying  its  further  progress  in  the 
crop  of  1&46,  and  preventing  it  for  future  time. 

The  prevailing  theories  on  the  subject  may  be  recapitulat- 
ed as  follows :  — 

1.  Atmospheric  influences. 

2.  Effects  of  manure. 

3.  Wet  weather. 

4.  Dry  weather. 

5.  Excessive  heat  and  cold. 

6.  Deterioration  of  the  plant. 

7.  Parasitical  influences. 

8.  Attack  of  the  mould. 

9.  Over  cultivation. 
10.  Over  ripening. 

It  must  be  evident  even  to  the  most  superficial  observer, 
that  a  cause  must  be  found  that  is  universal  in  its  effects,  be- 
cause the  disease  has  spread  throughout  the  world,  regardless 


96  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

of  climate,  soils  or  manures ;  warm  or  cold  latitudes  ;  in  hot, 
dry,  wet,  and  cold  seasons ;  under  every  possible  feature  of 
cultivation,  and  in  every  condition  of  the  crop,  as  managed  by 
all  sorts  of  farmers,  throughout  the  whole  of  this  country  and 
all  the  countries  of  Europe.  These  facts  remembered  we 
must  discard  the  idea  that  atmospheric  influences  would  pro- 
duce the  disease  ;  manures  and  soils  could  not  produce  it ; 
excessive  heat  or  cold  could  not  affect  the  crop  so  universally. 
The  disease  has  been  steadily  increasing  for  years  in  defiance 
of  all  the  conditions  that  these  various  theories  would  estab- 
lish as  governing  the  malady.  They  are  partial  in  their 
operation,  and  must,  therefore,  be  rejected  as  insufficient. 
The  cause  of  rot,  says  an  intelligent  writer,  cannot  be  in  the 
soil,  since  AVC  find  healthy  and  diseased  potatoes  growing  be- 
side each  other ;  that  is  to  say,  on  soils  of  the  same  constitu- 
tion we  sometimes  find  the  rot  in  alternate  plants,  or  in  whole 
rows.  It  cannot  be  attributed  to  the  atmosphere,  as  all  plants 
and  roots  are  equally  surrounded  by  it ;  nor  can  the  cause  be 
in  the  manure,  as  all  the  tubers  receive  the  same  kind,  and 
nearly  the  same  quantity.  It  must,  therefore,  be  attributed 
to  the  potatoe  itself. 

We  have,  then,  to  consider  the  most  popular  theory,  which 
ascribes  the  disease  to  the  influence  of  the  growth  of  fungi. 
This  position  is  the  one  taken  by  the  principal  vegetable 
physiologists  of  Great  Britain  and  this  country,  and  most  of 
the  directions  published  in  the  agricultural  papers  are  made 
with  reference  to  this  fact.  That  this  is  not  the  true  cause 
of  the  disease,  is,  I  think,  made  sufficiently  clear  by  the  con- 
cluding paragraphs  of  the  last  chapter.  That  evidences  of 
the  appearance  of  fungi  have  been  discovered,  and  are  dis- 
coverable in  all  diseased  potatoes,  I  do  not  deny,  but  I  assert 
that  they  are  a  consequence  of  disease  and  not  the  cause. 
Liebig  says  in  his  Chemistry  of  Agriculture  —  "  The  micro- 
scopical examination  of  vegetable  and  animal  matter,  in  the 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  97 

act  of  fermentation  or  putrefaction,  has  lately  given  rise  to 
the  opinion  that  these  actions  themselves,  and. the  changes 
suffered  by  the  bodies  subjected  to  them,  are  produced  in 
consequence  of  the  developement  of  fungi,  or  of  microscopical 
animals,  the  germs,  or  eggs  of  which  are  supposed  to  be  dif- 
fused every  where,  in  a  manner  inappreciable  to  our  senses  ; 
they  are  supposed  to  be  developed  when  they  meet  with  a 
medium  fitted  to  give  them  nourishment. 

"  It  is  ..certain  that  sponges  and  fungi,  growing  in  places 
from  which  light  is  excluded,  follow  laws  of  nutrition  differ- 
ent from  those  governing  green  plants  ;  and  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  their  nourishment  is  derived  from  putrefying 
bodies,  or  from  the  products  of  their  putrefaction,  which  pass, 
directly  into  this  kind  of  plants,  and  obtain  an  organized 
form  by  the  vital  powers  residing  within  them.  During  their 
growth  they  constantly  emit  carbonic  acid,  increasing  in 
weight  at  the  same  time,  while  all  other  plants,  under  similar 
circumstances,  would  decrease  in  weight.  Hence  it  is  possi- 
ble, and  indeed  probable,  that  fungi  may  have  the  power  of 
growing  in  fermenting  and  putrefying  substances,  in  as  far  as 
the  products  arising  from  the  putrefaction  are  adapted  for 
their  nourishment." 

The  truth  with  regard  to  the  appearance  of  fungi  in  pota- 
toes is,  then,  simply  this  :  —  The  disease  exists  in  the  potatoe  ; 
putrefaction  takes  place,  and  these  germs  or  eggs  which  Xiebig 
supposes  to  be  every  where,  find  in  the  diseased  potatoe  their 
proper  nourishment,  and  hence  they  begin  to  grow.  If,  as 
is  asserted,  the  germs  of  fungus  are  diffused  every  where, 
why  do  they  not  affect  all  other  crops,  in  a  similar  manner  ? 
Simply  because  other  crops  are  not  diseased.  But  over-ripe 
vegetables,  fruit,  and  decaying  or  putrefying  vegetable  sub- 
stances are  affected  in  a  similar  degree,  because  they  are 
putrefying:  they  are  not  putrefying  because  of  the  fungus. 

But,  admitting  for  a  moment  that  the  presence  of  fungi  is 
9 


98  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

the  cause  of  rot,  a  certain  and  immediate  remedy  is  at  hand ; 
for,  "  when  the  potatoe  crop  has  been  furnished  with  sufficient 
alkali,  the  fungi  have  nothing  to  feed  on,  and  do  not  attack 
the  potatoe ; "  and  further,  "  if  we  apply  strong  alkalies  in 
sufficient  quantities  to  any  plants  liable  to  attack  from  mil- 
dew, rust,  blight,  &c.,  (which  are  various  developements  of 
fungi,)  before  they  are  attacked,  they  will  not  be  attacked, 
and  if  we  supply  them  after  they  are  attacked,  they  will  soon 
be  freed  from  them"  Now  alkalies  have  been  applied  in 
considerable  quantities  to  potatoes,  and  while  growing  they 
have  not  been  attacked  by  the  rot,  but  after  gathering  and 
harvesting  disease  has  appeared  and  destroyed  them,  show- 
ing conclusively  that  fungi  is  not  the  cause,  but  that  a  deeper 
one  must  be  sought  and  a  more  radical  remedy  applied. 

What,  then,  are  the  causes  of  this  extensive  evil  ?  I  state 
them  thus :  — 

OVER  KIPENING, 
OVER  CULTIVATION, 
DETERIORATION  OF  SEED. 
To  which  might  be  added, 

CARELESSNESS  IN  SELECTING  SEED. 

In  this  last  particular  great  losses  have  been  sustained  by 
farmers,  not  only  in  the  potatoe  crop,  but  in  every  crop  that 
is  cultivated.  And  this  disaster  to  potatoes  may,  as  its  cause 
is  discovered,  eventually  prove  a  blessing,  by  showing  the 
prime  importance  of  selecting  good  seed.  It  is  surprising 
that  farmers  will  obey  almost  every  law  that  must  be  observ- 
ed in  good  cultivation,  and  yet  neglect  to  supply  themselves 
with  seed,  properly  saved  and  cured.  It  admits  of  de- 
monstration that  much  of  the  losses  arising  yearly  in  the 
various  crops  of  our  agriculture,  are  traceable  directly  to  the 
want  of  good  and  pure  seed.  Of  what  use,  I  would  ask,  is 
thorough  cultivation,  plowing,  hoeing,  pulverizing  and  man- 
uring, if  the  grand  object  for  which  all  this  labor  is  expended 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  99 

is  not  promoted?  and  how  can  it  be  accomplished  without 
good  seed  ?  Cultivators  have  practised  as  though  that  was 
a  matter  of  no  importance,  a'nd  yet,  it  would  seem,  every 
year's  experience  would  teach  them  better ;  for,  do  they  not 
see,  every  season,  how  much  quicker  sales  and  better  prices 
farmers  receive  for  good  products  than  for  those  which  are 
inferior  ?  and  yet  they  say,  it  is  their  neighbors'  luck,  when 
it  is  clearly  the  result  of  judicious  foresight. 

A  false  economy  prevails  on  this  subject.  Many  farmers 
look  for  seeds  of  the  lowest  price.  This  is  wrong.  The  best 
and  purest  seeds  are  always  the  cheapest,  and  in  exercising  a 
proper  economy,  they  ought  to  select  seeds  that  are  known  to 
be  pure,  healtby  and  strong,  without  regard  to  the  price,  pro- 
vided it  is  within  reasonable  limits. 

There  is  a  great  advantage  in  pursuing  the  right  course  in 
regard  to  this  matter.  An  increased  product  of  one  half  bushel 
on  an  acre  in  the  average  yield  of  corn,  wheat,  rye,  oats,  barley, 
<fec.,  will  make  in  the  aggregate  a  vast  amount ;  and  yet  by  using 
seeds  that,  are  carefully  selected  for  their  purity,  healthiness 
and  strength,  how  much  more  than  an  average  increase  of 
one  half  bushel  per  acre  can  be  realized?  In  some  cases 
from  one  to  ten  bushels,  and  even  a  greater  increase  can  be 
obtained  by  attending  to  the  selection  of  seeds. 

It  will  be  found  on  inquiry  that  those  farmers  who  are  the 
most  successful  in  producing  large  crops,  spare  neither  time, 
labor  nor  expense,  in  selecting  their  seed.  Difference  of  soil, 
situation,  manures,  and  previous  condition  of  the  land,  are  to 
be  considered ;  but  it  will  appear  that  the  quality  of  seed 
sown  has  influenced  the  quantity  of  the  crop  as  much,  if  not 
more,  than  any  other  circumstance. 

But  it  is  not  the  increased  quantity  of  a  crop  that  is  the 
only  advantage  gained  in  using  selected  seed.  Another  ad- 
vantage is,  the  superior  quality  of  the  crop,  and  this  alone, 
allowing  that  the  average  yield  was  the  same  in  using  good 


100  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

and  bad  seed,  is  a  sufficient  inducement  to  be  very  particular 
in  the  selection.  It  has  not  escaped  the  observation  of  the 
most  careless  purchaser  of  agricultural  produce,  or  the  expe- 
rience of  producers,  th'at  there  is  a  vast  difference  in  the 
market  value  of  crops  of  the  same  variety.  Whence  does 
this  difference  arise  ?  One  crop  is  raised  on  a  congenial  soil, 
with  congenial  food,  and  with  better  cultivation  than  another 
had,  but  after  all,  it  will  be  found  that  the  quality  of  seed 
used,  influenced  the  value  of  the  crop  as  much  as  any  other 
consideration.  Takejhe  article  of  potatoes.  Some  varieties 
sell,  in  ordinary  seasons,  at  retail,  in  Boston  Market,  for  one 
dollar  per  bushel,  while  the  main  stock  is  offered  at  thirty  to 
forty  cents  per  bushel.  The  first  are  mealy  ?<  almost  every 
potatoe  good,  and  nearly  equal  to  wheat  bread,  while  the 
others  are  close,  soggy,  cloggy,  half-decayed  things. 

"  Potatoes,  which  not  fit  to  dig, 
Would  turn  the  stomach  of  a  pig." 

Which  are  most  profitable  for  farmers  and  consumers  ?  What 
is  observed  of  potatoes  is-  equally  true  of  every  other  kind  of 
marketable  produce. 

Perhaps  in  no  part  of  the  duties  of  the  farmer  has  there 
been  so  much  neglect  as  in  selecting  and  saving  potatoes  for 
seed.  Any  potatoes  have  been  considered  good  enough  for 
that  purpose,  and  any  mode  of  preserving  or  keeping  them 
has  been  adopted.  Now,  to  this  one  fact,  we  trace  a  portion 
of  the  evil  that  has  visited  us  in  the  potatoe  crop.  A  greater 
mistake  never  was  committed.  To  build  a  house  with  un- 
burnt  bricks  were  wisdom  compared  with  it. 

By  improper  management  in  taking  up  the  potatoe,  tubers 
of  the  finest  quality  are  easily  spoiled ;  and,  on  the  contrary, 
by  judicious  treatment,  even  such  as  are  watery  may  be  con- 
siderably improved.  It  is  of  the  highest  consequence  that  light 
as  well  as  frost  should  be  guarded  against ;  for  light  renders  the 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  101 

tubers  unwholesome,  and  that,  in  proportion  to  its  intensity 
-and  the  length  of  time  the  tubers  are  exposed  to  its  influence. 

The  stems,  and  in  fact  all  parts  of  the  potatoe  plant  above 
ground,  are  more  or  less  poisonous.  Tubers  are  occasionally 
formed  along  the  stem,  but  they  are,  as  we  all  know,  green 
and  bad.  This  is  entirely  owing  to  their  exposure  to  light ; 
for  had  the  stems  been-laid  in  the  earth,  so  as  to  have  covered 
such  stem-tubers  from  the  commencement  of  their  growth, 
they  would  have  been  just  as  good  as  tubers  of  the  under- 
ground formation.  Potatoes,  even  in  their  dirty  state,  as 
taken  up,  will  be  considerably  altered  in  color,  both  exter- 
nally and  internally,  and  proportion  ably  impaired  in  quality, 
by  a  few  days'  exposure  to  light,  in  clear  weather,  although 
they  may  not  be  exposed  to  the  sun's  direct  rays  ;  but  the 
effect  must  be  greater  when  the  surface  is  washed  and  de- 
prived of  the  partial  shade  afforded  by  the  particles  of  soil. 

The  time  was  when  potatoes  were  in  many  instances 
spread  out  in  the  sun,  in  order  to  dry  them  before  storing  in 
the  earth..  No  practice  could  be  worse,  for  the  reasons  above 
stated ;  and,  moreover,  the  object  in  view,  that  of  rendering 
them  ultimately  drier  and  better  in  quality,  was  not  attained. 
On  the  contrary,  although  deprived  of  a  portion  of  their  mois-  , 
ture  in  the  first  instance,  yet  this  only  left  room  for  the 
absorption  of  moisture  contaminated  with  gasses,  generated  in 
the  place  where  they  were  stored. 

From  this  I  would  have  it  inferred  that  potatoes  should 
never  be  cleansed  or  washed  before  they  are  stored ;  they 
should  be  dried  with  the  dirt  remaining  upon  them,  as  they 
were  taken  from  the  ground,  but  with  the  least  possible  ex- 
posure to  light.  'Potatoes  for  seed  may  remain  so  until  it  is 
time  to  plant  them ;  those  intended  for  cooking  may  be  taken 
out  and  dried  several  days  before  they  are  wanted  for  use.  A 
writer  in  the  Revue  Horticole,  a  French  agricultural  publi- 
cation, is  aware  of  this  fact.  He  says  :  « In  unfavorable 
9* 


.102  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

seasons  potatoes  are  always  found  to  be  watery  and  without 
flavor,  although  cooked  with  the  greatest  care.  In  this  case 
•the  mode  of  effecting  an  amelioration  is  easy ;  it  consists  in 
(placing  them  near  a  stove  or  oven,  for  about  a  week  pre- 
viously to  their  being  used ;  at  the  end  of  that  time  they  will 
be  found  mealy  and  of  good  flavor."  Objects  of  vast  impor- 
tance are  sometimes  attained  by  very  simple  means  ;  and 
tiiat  to  which  the  foregoing  remarks  apply,  is  by  no  means 
.underserving  consideration.  At  a  meeting  of  farmers  in 
Scotland,  they  gave  clearly  the  results  of  their  varied  experi- 
ence, and  one  fact  all  the  speakers  seemed  to  agree  in,  which 
was,  that  potatoes  left  in  the  ground,  where  they  grew,  al- 
ways produced  a  healthy  crop.  Many  farmers  confirm  this. 
One  farmer  says  he  has  followed  this  same  plan  forty  years 
with  uniform  success  ;  the  potatoes  Avere  always  fresh  and 
well  tasted,  and  as  seed,  they  never  failed.  Here  is  the 
simplest  of  all  plans  for  saving  seed,  for  a  little  extra  earth 
will  secure  them  from  frost.  It  is  stated  by  some  that  extra 
earth  in  saving  potatoes  is  unnecessary.  If  they  are  in  a 
dry  soil,  and  completely  covered  by  it,  they  will  not  be  in- 
jured by  the  most  severe  frost  —  that  is,  supposing  they  are 
to  remain  in  the  soil  until  they  are  completely  thawed  again. 
Hundreds  of  potatoes  are  left  in  the  ground  all  the  winter, 
many  of  them  not  more  than  an  inch  deep,  and  yet  when 
they  are  turned  up  in  the  spring,  they  are  as  sound  as  if  they 
had  been  kept  in  a  cellar. 

It  has  been  thought  that  the  sprouting  of  potatoes  in  cel- 
lars must  have  some  effect  on  the  healthy  developement  of 
the  future  plant,  and  it  would  seem  that  there  is  some  reason 
for  this  idea,  "  as  in  the  town  of  Ballina  (Ireland)  where  the 
rot  has  never  appeared,  I  have  been  told  that  all  farmers, 
from  the  richest  to  the  poorest,  take  especial  care  to  select 
those  potatoes  which  have  never  sprouted  in  cellars,  and 
to  plant  them  as  quick  as  possible.  It  is  said,  however,  that 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  103 

the  crops  there  are  beginning  to  fail,  owing  to  the  practice  of 
planting  year  after  year  on  the  same  soil.  They  do  not  rot 
but  get  smaller  in  size.  An  alkali  of  a  very  deleterious 
nature  ( Solaniri)  is  found  in  the  sprouts  of  potatoes  which 
shoot  in  cellars,  while  not  a  trace  of  it  is  found  in  sprouts 
grown  in  soil.  How  far  this  tends  to  injure  the  tuber  is  not 
ascertained,  but  it  is  highly  probable  that  such  a  tendency  is 
induced.  It  is  not  probable  that  the  degeneration  of  the 
tuber  in  one  year  immediately  induced  rot,  —  by  neglect, 
transformations  have  been  going  on  for  years,  which  have 
ultimately  led  to  it.  Experiments  might  easily  be  instituted 
to  show  how  far  shoots  produced  in  cellars  affect  the  crop, 
and  it  is  certainly  worth  ascertaining. 

OVER-CULTIVATION.  What  has  been  said  on  this  sub- 
ject in  the  foregoing  pages  should  be  re-perused  with  care 
and  especial  attention,  as  this  is  one  of  the  main  causes  that 
has  produced  the  great  evil.  It  may  be  asked,  indeed  it  will 
be  asked,  "  If  rot  arises  from  this,  and  the  other  causes  you 
have  named,  why  has  not  the  evil  appeared  before,  and  why 
is  it  so  universal  now  ?  "  I  answer,  that  while  the  crop  was 
produced  by  manures  that  are  not  highly  stimulating,  on  land 
that  did  not  contain  a  superabundance  of  nutritive  matter, 
and  wrhile  the  quantity  produced  per  acre  was  moderate,  the 
disease  was  not  developed ;  that  in  the  interior,  away  from 
cities  and  large  towns,  there  was  no  trouble  with  the  crop  for 
a  great  number  of  years ;  that  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
cities  where  manure  is  abundant,  and  the  land  highly  fed,  the 
disease  made  its  appearance  in  a  very  early  stage  of  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  crop,  and  its  progress  was  only  stayed  by 
yearly  importations  of  seed  from  back  countries ;  that  the 
disease  has  been  steadily  increasing  for  years,  and  it  is  not 
a  new  disease,  but  has  progressively  increased  wherever  the 
crop  is  cultivated  ;  that  the  manner  of  saving  and  preparing 
seed,  growing  crops,  manuring  and  cultivation  is,  and  has 


104  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

been,  very  nearly  the  same,  in  all  the  countries  where  the 
potatoe  is  grown,  and,  consequently,  all  the  causes  which  pro- 
duce the  disease,  have  been  simultaneously  in  operation, 
everywhere.  That  the  disease  is  not  an  epidemic,  we  know, 
because  sound  and  unsound  potatoes  are  grown  upon  the 
same  field.  I  say  that  the  causes  of  the  disease  lie  where  I 
have  placed  them,  because  in  almost  every  instance  where 
the  treatment  of  the  crop  has  been  based  upon  this  theory, 
there  has  been  no  rot.  There  are,  of  course,  exceptions  to  all 
general  rules,  and  exceptions  may  be  named  to  this,  but  the 
great  fact  remains  true,  and  it  will  be  a  demonstrated  truth 
next  year,  by  all  who  are  careful  in  selecting  land  and  pre- 
paring their  seed  potatoes. 

Now  I  lay  it  down  as  an  incontrovertible  fact  that  potatoe 
sets  from  a  highly  cultivated  field,  and  from  a  large  crop,  are 
not  proper  for  seed,  and  that  sets  from  such  a  crop  will  in- 
evitably give  a  diseased  product ;  it  may  not  be  visible  the 
first  year,  or  the  second ;  but  the  tuber  is  diseased,  and  the 
disease  will  out.  I  do  not  say  that  farmers  should  not  strive 
for  large  crops,  but  merely  that  sets  should  not  be  taken 
from  them.  I  cannot  'precisely  state  the  law  governing  this 
fact,  but  it  has  been  remarked  by  Professor  Morren  that  the 
potatoe  is  not  a  root  —  only  a  branch ;  and  if  the  Professor 
is  correct,  then  an  easy  solution  for  it  is  at  hand.  The  plant, 
by  over-production,  has  exhausted  its  vital  energies.  And 
this  would  seem  to  be  the  true  reason  why  sets  from  such  a 
crop  are  not  proper  for  seed. 

OVER-RIPENING.  Another  cause  to  which  I  ascribe  the 
rot,  is  the  planting  of  over-ripened  sets.  I  believe  it  wiil  not 
be  contended  for  a  moment  that  over-ripened  sets  have  not 
generally  been  planted,  neither  will  it  be  asserted  that  the 
produce  from  sets  not  over-ripened  have  been,  to  any  general 
extent,  affected  by  the  disease.  In  some  cases  they  have ; 
but,  then,  it  will  be  traceable  to  pre-existing  disease,  arising 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  105 

from  the  same  causes  in  previous  years.  There  is  no  question 
that  the  vital  energies  of  a  plant,  if  excited  beyond  a  given 
point,  are  injured  in  their  organization,  and  rendered  unfit 
for  the  purposes  of  reproduction.  I  speak  now  of  those 
plants  which  are  reproduced  by  cuttings,  layers,  and  tuberous 
appendages  growing  from  them.  Florists  who,  by  the  nature 
of  their  business,  are  obliged  to  watch  the  nature  of  all  plants 
propagated  by  these  means,  understand  the  operation  of  this 
principle,  and  the  individuals  they  propagate  from  are  gen- 
erally selected  with  greatest  care.  The  rules  which  apply 
to  other  root  crops,  will  not  and  cannot  apply  to  potatoes, 
because  other  root  crops  are  reproduced  by  seed,  and  cannot 
be  produced  by  cuttings,  sets,  or  tubers.  The  potatoe  set  is 
part  of  the  plant ;  it  is  forced  from  its  parent  stem  to  perform 
the  unnatural  office  of  perpetuating  its  kind.  Now,  this  fact 
borne  in  mind,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  causes  which  I  have 
named  as  producing  disease,  are  the  most  obvious,  as  well  as 
the  most  natural  ones,  and  it  is  the  simplicity  of  the  thing 
alone  which  has  prevented  the  deeply  learned  and  scientific 
from  making  the  discovery  before.  They  have  undoubtedly 
made  observations  on  these  causes  and  understand  fully  the 
operation  of  them,  but  as  they  were  simple  and  evident,  have 
passed  them  by  as  of  no  immediate  consequence. 

The  same  thing  may  be  remarked  with  regard  to  progress 
in  morals,  religion,  and  any  of  the  sciences.  Professors  in 
these  branches  of  knowledge,  have  not  distinguished  them- 
selves, by  any  wonderful  additions  to  their  subject ;  they  only 
adopt,  apply,  and  illustrate  known  truths.  New  discoveries 
they  make  not ;  they  are  things  unknown ;  they  search  for 
them,  indeed,  but  look  for  profound  and  mysterious  laws, 
forgetting  that  all  the  truths  in  the  arcana  of  nature,  are  so 
simple  that  a  child  can  understand  them.  This  rule  of 
thought  and  action  has  prevented  progress  from  the  earliest 
ages  to  the  present  time,  and  a  modern  professor  will  be  as 


106  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

likely  to  sneer  at  my  simple  theory  and  remedies  as  was 
Naaman,  the  Syrian,  when  told  by  the  prophet  to  wash  seven 
times  in  Jordan,  and  he  should  be  healed.  The  proud  offi- 
cial turned  away  in  anger  and  scorn,  but  a  serving  girl  fol- 
lowed after  him,  and  asked,  in  the  language  of  simple 
common  sense,  and  according  to  the  strict  rules  of  analogy : 
"My  lord!  if  the  prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing, 
wouldst  thou  not  have  done  it  ? "  The  multitude  miscon- 
ceive the  operations  of  nature:  they  are  continually  looking 
for  great  things,  and  let  opportunities  slip  that  would  induct 
them  into  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  ways  of  Provi- 
dence. Putting  water  upon  fire  is  a  simple  remedy,  but  it 
is  efficacious.  "  Cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do  well,"  is  a 
simple  remedy  to  amend  a  bad  life  and  bad  habits,  but  it  is 
abundantly  able  to  transform  a  spirit  of  darkness  to  assimila- 
tion with  the  purity  of  angels.  It  is  by  looking  for  simple 
causes  that  the  greatest  results  are  obtained. 

DETERIORATION  OF  SEED.  All  the  causes  we  have 
named  would  naturally  tend  to  the  deterioration  of  potatoe 
sets,  and  it  is  not  at  all  surprising  that  most  of  the  seeds  of 
varieties,  now  in  use,  have  become  so  weak  and  disorganized 
as  to  produce  diseased  tubers,  and  so  furnish  food  for  fungi, 
and  an  excuse  for  ascribing  the  general  decay  to  all  the 
other  causes  that  have  been  assigned.  Mr.  Knight,  the  first 
President  of  the  London  Horticultural  Society,  and  one  of 
the  greatest  men  of  his  time,  limited  the  duration  of  varieties 
in  a  state  of  perfection  to  from  fourteen  to  twenty  years,  and 
remarked  that  the  experience  of  most  farmers  would  witness 
for  him  that  no  variety,  then  in  cultivation,  and  esteemed  a 
good  sort,  could  be  traced  back  more  than  twelve  years.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  has  been  stated,  and  individual  experience 
has  proved,  that  with  care,  varieties  have  preserved  their 
original  vigor  for  nearly  half  a  century.  This  last  is  no  doubt 
the  truth  with  regard. to  varieties,  if  proper  care  has  been 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  107 

observed  in  managing  the  seed  or  tubers  from  them  ;  but  the 
remark  of  Mr.  Knight  will  hold  generally  correct  in  view  of 
the  very  extensive  and  deplorable  mismanagement  that  has 
prevailed  in  saving  sets  for  replanting. 

Now,  having  stated  the  causes  of  the  potatoe  plague,  rot,  or 
taint,  the  remedies  to  be  applied  are  easily  understood  and 
within  the  reach  of  all.  Sets  from  this  year's  crop,  that  have 
escaped  change,  may  be  carefully  selected,  and  though  they 
may  be  affected  by  previous  mismanagement,  the  disease 
will  not  prevail  so  extensively  in  the  new  crop  as  it  did  last 
year ;  by  cultivating  expressly  for  seed,  storing  and  saving 
them,  as  recommended  in  this  book,  another  year  will  witness 
a  great  falling  off  in  the  disease,  and,  eventually  it  will  dis- 
appear, as  none  but  healthy  sprouts  being  planted,  disease 
cannot  be  propagated. 

On  the  subject  of  planting  potatoes,  the  following  remarks 
by  Mr.  T.  Smith  may  be  appropriately  inserted  in  this  place. 
"  From  the  experience  I  have  had  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
potatoe,  I  .have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  taint,  or  dry 
rot,  owes  its  origin  entirely  to  an  injudicious  method  of  plant- 
ing the  seed ;  *  and  after  mature  consideration,  I  have  adopt- 
ed a  system  of  planting,  which  I  have  practised  for  twenty 
years,  with  such  success  as  never  once  to  have  had  an  in- 
stance of  dry  rot  among  my  potatoe  crops  during  that  time, 
although  they  were  sometimes  growing  in  direct  contiguity  to 
other  potatoes,  which,  from  being  planted  in  a  different  man- 
ner, were  laboring  under  the  effects  of  disease.  It  shall  now 
be  my  endeavor,  in  as  simple  and  as  concise  a  manner  as 
possible,  to  lay  this  system  before  my  readers,  convinced  that 


*  Much  difficulty  has  doubtless  arisen  from  this  source,  but  it  is  vain  to 
ascribe  the  rot  entirely  to  it.  The  suggestion  is,  however,  worth  attending 
to,  as  improvements  in  planting,  as  well  as  in  selecting  seeds,  must  be 
advantageous. 


108  The  Potatoe  Plague. 

they  will  find  it  in  practice  a  most  effectual  remedy  for  the 
disease  in  question.  The  chief  cause  of  this  disease  I  conceive 
to  be  the  prevalent  error  in  planting  the  potatoe,  of  placing 
the  seed  in  a  quantity  of  dung  laid  in  the  middle  of  the  drill. 
Any  one  who  knows  any  thing  of  the  qualities  of  dung, 
knows  that  it  is  of  itself  incapable  of  promoting  vegetation, 
or  sustaining  vegetable  life,  until  decomposed,  and  incorpo- 
rated with  a  portion  of  earthy  soil,  and  it  is  not  therefore  to 
be  wondered  at  that  disease  and  failures  in  the  potatoe  crop 
are  so  prevalent.  The  wonder  is,  that  while  such  a  system 
of  planting  is  persevered  in,  any  of  these  crops  should  suc- 
ceed at  all  under  such  treatment ;  and,  indeed,  this  is  only 
to  be  accounted  for  by  the  small  quantity  and  inferior  quality 
of  the  dung  applied,  which  is  generally  found  mixed  with 
great  quantities  of  half-rotten  straw  and  other  extraneous 
substances,  and  were  it  not  that  the  fresh  earth  is  laid  imme- 
diately on  the  -top  of  the  dung  after  the  seed  is  planted,  the 
failure  of  crops  would  be  to  a  much  greater  extent ;  of  this  I 
have  no  doubt.  The  ground  too,  if  in  a  very  impoverished 
state,  may,  by  speedily  digesting  and  drying  up  the  dung, 
prevent,  to  a  great  extent,  a  total  failure  of  the  crop,  although 
the  seed  were  planted  thus  injudiciously  in  the  midst  of  the 
dung ;  for  it  will  be  observed  that  in  such  ground  the  rot  is 
not  so  destructive  as  in  rich  deep  soils.  The  first  and  great 
point,  therefore,  in  setting  the  potatoe,  is  to  have  the  manure 
properly  commingled  with  the  soil  before  introducing  the 
seed,  the  plan  I  adopt  in  planting,  briefly  as  follows :  In  pre- 
paring a  parcel  of  ground  for  the  reception  of  the  pota- 
toe seed,  I  proceed  to  have  the  manure  spread  regularly  over 
the  surface,  and  evenly  dug  in.  I  then  either  drill  the  ground, 
after  the  manner  of  gardeners  in  sowing  peas,  and  plant  the 
potatoes  in  the  drill,  or  plant  them  with  a  dibble,  without 
drilling,  about  two  or  three  inches  below  the  surface,  the  dib- 
ble being  formed  with  a  broad  point,  so  as  to  insure  the 


The  Potatoe  Plague.  109 

potatoe  having  no  open  space  left  beneath  it,  when  dropped 
into  the  hole.  For  large  fields  which  cannot  well  be  dug  or 
planted  in  this  manner  I  would  recommend  that  the  ground 
be  prepared  and  the  dung  spread  exactly  as  for  oats  or  barley. 
Then  have  the  ground  drilled,  and  in  planting  place  the  seed 
potatoe  in  the  clear  soil,  on  the  back  of  the  half  drill,  formed 
by  the  return  of  the  plough,  which  half  drill  should  be  made 
larger  than  ordinary,  to  bring  the  seed  as  near  to  the  centre 
of  the  drill  as  possible,  so  as  to  afford  it  every  advantage  of 
the  fresh  soil  to  vegetate  in.  In  this  way,  the  fructifying 
earth,  In  which  the  seed  is  embedded,  will  secure  its  health- 
ful vegetation,  and  as  it  progresses  in  its  growth,  and  so  soon 
as  it  throws  out  roots,  it  will  reap  the  full  benefit  of  the  ma- 
nure contained  in  the  surrounding  soil.  It  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  to  have  the  seed  planted,  so  as  it  may  have 
the  earth  both  below  and  above  it  when  put  in ;  for  in  keep- 
ing the  seed  free  from  the  dung,  I  apprehend,  lies  the  whole 
secret,  which  should  be  particularly  attended  to." 


10 


APPENDIX. 


TABLE 

Of  the  number  of  sets  of  potatoes,  and  total  weight  of  the 
same,  required  for  planting  an  acre  at  the  following  dis- 
tances ;  each  set  containing  a  single  eye  and  weighing  half 
an  ounce ;  the  distance  between  the  sets  in  the  rows  being 
nine  inches. 


No.  of  sets  per  acre. 

Weight  of  sets  per  acre. 

cwt.    Ibs. 

Rows  18  in.  apart 

38.720 

"  10     90 

«      19  «       « 

36.682 

10     26 

«     20  "       " 

34.848 

9     81 

ti     21  «      " 

33.188 

9     29 

«     22  "      " 

31.680 

8     94 

«     23  "      " 

30.302 

8     50 

a     24  "      " 

29.040 

8     11 

«     25  "      " 

27.874 

7     87 

u     26  "      u 

26.806 

7     53 

«     27  "      " 

25.813 

7     22 

"     28  "      " 

24.891 

6  105 

"     29  "      " 

24.033 

6     79 

«     30  "       " 

23.232 

6     54 

On  poor  soil,  eighteen  inches  between  the  rows  may  be 
considered  a  proper  distance,  as  may  likewise  be  the  case 


On  Planting  Potatoes.  Ill 

with  early  weak-stemmed  varieties  on  any  soil.  And  according 
to  the  vigor  of  the  stems,  richness  and  depth  of  soil,  the  dis- 
tance may  be  increased  to  thirty  inches,  whicfc  is  wide  enough 
for  the  strongest  growers,  even  on  rich  soil. 

It  is  to  be  remarked  that  in  some  varieties  the  eyes  are 
not  abundant.  With  regard  to  such  the  above  number  of  sets 
will  not  be  obtained  from  the  corresponding  weights ;  but  in 
general  it  will  be  practicable,  provided  sound  eyed  tubers  can 
be  employed. — Robert  Thompson. 


ON  PLANTING  CUT  AND  UNCUT  POTATOES 
FOR  SEED. 


AN  important  point  which  potatoe  growers  have  taken  for  - 
experiment  is  the  difference  in  produce  where  whole  tubers 
and  cut  sets  are  employed.     There  is  a  great  difference  of 
opinion  on  this  subject. 

A  good  many  farmers  are  in  favor  of  using  whole  tubers. 
One  cultivator  says :  "  I  always  use  whole  potatoes,  which 
insures  a  tolerable  crop  in  all  seasons,  preventing  dry  rot  in 
hot  weather,  and  rottenness  in  wet  weather,  which  cut  pota- 
toes are  so  liable  to."  A  Leicestershire  farmer  says,  that  after 
many  years  experience  he  has  discontinued  planting  cut  sets, 
and  substitutes  whole  tubers,  selecting  small  ones,  but  not  the 
smallest;  he  adds,  that  adopting  this  rule,  he  has  had  an 
excellent  crop  this  year,  and  the  tubers  are  extraordinarily 
large.  A  farmer  near  Birmingham  finds  his  cut  sets  a  total 
failure,  and  another  gives  a  decided  preference  for  whole 
potatoes,  the  poor  people  having  lost  almost  all  their  cut  sets, 
while  their  whole  potatoes  stood  the  long  drought. 


[From  the  Genessee  Fanner.] 

MR.  TUCKER,  —  I  planted  last  spring,  three  acres  of  pota- 
toes.    One  half  of  the  ground  was  ploughed  in  the  fall  of 


Potatoes  for  Seed.  113 

1837,  and  the  other  in  the  spring  of  1838  —  the  whole  a 
clover  pasture  in  1837.  The  part  ploughed  in  the  spring 
had  sixty  large  wagon  loads  of  straw  from  the  barn  yard  put 
on  and  turned  well  under  the  sod  —  that  part  ploughed  in  the 
fall  was  well  harrowed  and  cultivated  and  then  furrowed 
shallow,  and  the  seed  dropped  in  drills,  and  fifteen  loads  of 
straw  and  sheep  manure,  taken  from  the  sheep  sheds,  put  in 
the  hills  over  the  potatoes.  This  piece  was  decidedly  better 
than  the  first  mentioned.  The  ground  was  naturally  moist, 
and  the  excessive  rains  of  the  springs  washed  and  drowned 
the  seed  very  bad,  so  as  to  destroy  more  than  a  half  acre,  on 
part  of  which  I  planted  on  the  4th  of  July  early  white  beans, 
from  which  I  harvested  three  bushels  of  sound  beans.  Yet 
notwithstanding  the  bad  season  and  rains,  I  harvested  seven 
hundred  and  fifty-five  bushels  of  potatoes,  mostly  pink  eyes, 
the  remainder  a  flesh  colored  (not  the  Sardinia,)  which  I 
call  long  keepers,  from  their  being  a  better  potatoe  for  sum- 
mer's use  than  the  pink  eye.  But  the  object  of  this  commu- 
nication is  to  give  you  the  result  of  my  experiment  in  1838, 
on  the  quantity  of  seed  required. 


Row.                             In  each  hill. 

Yield. 

Qual. 

1 

planted            1  whole  large  pink  eye 

41  fibs. 

8 

2 

2  middle  size 

42 

10 

3 

1     do. 

414 

5 

4 

2  halves 

32J 

9 

5 

1     do. 

.39^ 

3 

6 

2  quarters 

25J 

4 

7 

1     do. 

37| 

1    - 

8 

1  very  small 

40J 

2 

9 

2     do. 

41 

6 

10 

large  potatoes  cut  in  ^  and  drilled 

39 

7 

10* 

114  Potatoes  for  Seed. 

The  above  yield  was  obtained  from  rows  1£  rods  long  and 
:3  feet  between  the  hills  each  way  (measured,  not  guessed  at.) 
"The  quality  numbered  according  to  size,  No.  7,  decidedly  the 
"best,  and  No.  2  had  but  few  large  enough  to  cook. 

T  "have  for  seven  years  assorted  my  potatoes  at  the  time 
•of  digging,  and  fed  the  small  ones  to  my  hogs,  and  then 
in  the  spring  I  again  select  a  few  bushels  of  the  largest,  and 
best-shaped  ones,  and  plant  by  themselves  and  save  my  seed 
for  the  next  year  from  the  product  of  those  selected,  and  m 
no  event  planting  a  potatoe  that  the  women  had  left  as  too 
small  to  cook.  The  above,  I  think,  will  sufficiently  account 
for  the  good  yield  and  quality  of  No.  8.  I  do  not  believe, 
with  Solon  Robinson,  that  whole  potatoes  are  better  than  cut 
ones.  If  any  person  would  give  me  the  seed  if  I  would  plant 
whole  pink  eye  potatoes,  I  would  not  take  it,  preferring  to 
use  a  half  one  of  my  own  raising.  I  have  just  received  an 
order  for  40  bushels  of  pink  eye  potatoes  for  seed,  from  a  gen- 
tleman in  this  county,  to  whom  I  sold  the  same  quantity  last 
spring,  in  which  he  says,  "  the  potatoes  I  had  of  you  last 
spring,  were  planted  according  to  your  direction  on  four  acres 
of  ground,  and  I  have  harvested  over  1200  bushels  the  finest 
I  ever  saw,  and  I  prefer  purchasing  seed  of  you  to  planting 
those  raised  on  my  own  ground."  By  persevering  in  the 
above  practice  of  saving  seed  we  have  increased  the  size  of 
our  pink  eye  potatoes  one  third,  and  the  yield  has  nearly 
*  doubled. 

I  remain,  yours,  &c., 

S.  PORTER  RHODES. 

:Skaneateles,  Feb.  18,  1839, 


[From  the  Maine  Farmer.] 

MR.  HOLMES, —  Sir,  I  propose  giving  the  result  of  experi- 
ments which  I  made  the  past  season  on  seeding  the  potatoes. 


Potatoes  for  Seed.  115 

Perhaps  your  readers  remember  I  last  spring  promised  to 
make  such  experiments  and  communicate  the  results  to  the 
Farmer. 

I  carefully  selected  a  piece  of  ground  of  even  soil,  consist- 
ing of  16  rows  of  20  hills  each.  I  manured  it  in  the  hill  as 
evenly  as  possible.  I  then  weighed  the  seed  and  planted 
eight  rows,  commencing  on  one  side,  each  row  with  different 
seed,  in  the  order  observed  in  the  tables  below.  I  then 
planted  the  eight  remaining  rows,  commencing  on  the  other 
side  in  the  same  order,  so  that  if  my  experiment  ground  were 
better  on  one  side  than  it  were  on  the  other  I  should  be  likely, 
from  a  combined  experiment,  to  obtain  a  fair  result. 

I  shall  give  the  results  of  the  experiments  separately,  that 
your  readers  may  see  there  exists  a  similarity  in  them. 

I  dug,  counted,  and  weighed  separately,  the  product  of  each 
row,  and  after  deducting  the  weight  of  the  seed,  as  was  very 
important  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  correct  conclusion,  as  the 
weight  of  the  seed  varied  from  7J-  to  19  J  Ibs.  I  found  the 
result  exactly  as  follows. 


FIRST  EXPERIMENT. 

Weight..  No.  per  60  Ibs. 

Seed  ends,  54  274 

Middles,  49|  316 

Bute,  58  317 

Large  whole,  67£  286 

Small  whole,  62£  241 

Cut  longintudinally  57  234 

Double  s«ed,  56  329 

Drills,  61J  310 


116  Potatoes  for  Seed. 

SECOND  EXPERIMENT. 


Weight. 

Seed  ends, 

55 

Middles, 

51| 

Buts, 

55 

Large  whole, 

55£ 

Small  whole, 

49^ 

Cut  longitudinally, 

61 

Double  seed, 

51 

Drills, 

91* 

COMBINED  RESULTS. 

Seed  ends, 

109 

\ 

Middles, 

101* 

Buts, 

113 

Large  whole, 

122* 

Small  whole, 

112 

Cut  longitudinally, 

118 

Double  seed, 

107 

Drills, 

124 

No.  per  60  Ibs. 
282 
318 

•  339 
275 
287 
274 
340 
324 


278 
317 
328 
280 
264 
254 
334 
317 


If  your  readers  feel  the  interest  in  following  out  these 
experiments  and  reducing  them  to  practice  which  I  felt  in 
making  them  they  will  do  it. 


[From  the  Albany  Cultivator.] 

There  is  hardly  any  crop  about  the  management  of  which 
a  greater  diversity  of  opinions  exists  than  this  —  whether  we 
regard  soil,  seed,  or  mode  of  planting  and  culture.  The  Brit- 
ish Board  of  Agriculture,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  the  best 
mode  of  managing  the  potatoe  crop,  addressed  a  number  of 


Potatoes  for  Seed.  117 

queries  to  the  principal  farmers  in  the  kingdom,  calculated  to 
elicit  the  facts  necessary  to  determine  this  point.  The  circu- 
lar and  the  answers  were  published  in  a  large  quarto  volume, 
together  with  the  report  of  the  committee  charged  with  the 
arrangement  and  publication  of  the  facts.  The  statements 
are  so  variant,  that  the  committee  were  unable  to  recommend 
any  particular  practice,  as  that  which  was  most  successful  in 
one  case,  proved  defective  in  other  cases.  The  only  impor- 
tant fact  settled  by  the  inquiry  was,  that  potatoes  differ  very 
materially,  in  some  cases  fifty  per  cent.,  in  their  nutritive 
properties,  a  consideration  as  material  for  the  stall  as  for  the 
table.  Since  the  date  of  that  publication,  however,  very  nice 
experiments  have  been  made  in  Great  Britain,  particularly  in 
Scotland,  and  by  Mr.  Knight,  and  also  in  the  United  States. 
From  these  we  draw  the  following  conclusions : 

1.  That  in  this  latitude  the  potatoe  is  better,  both  as  to  pro- 
duce and  flavor,  when  grown  on  a  moist  and  cool,  than  when 
grown  on  a  warm  and  dry  soil  —  better  on  a  moderately  loose 
and  friable,  than  on  a  hard  and  compact  soil. 

2.  That  they  do  better  on  a  grass  lay  than  on  stubble  — 
and  better  with  a  long  or  unfermented  manure,  than  with 
short  muck. 

3.  That  medium  sized  whole  tubers  give  a  better  crop  than 
sets  of  very  large  tubers. 

4.  That  drills  or  rows  should  be  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
the  tops,  and  the  condition  of  the  soil  —  the  small  growing 
tops  nearer,  and  those  having  larger  tops  farther  apart  —  so 
that  the  sun  may  not  be  excluded  from  the  intervals ;  and 
where  the  soil  is  stiff,  or  the  sod  tough,  hills  are  considered 
^preferable  to  drills. 

5.  That  if  the  ground  be  well  prepared,  and  the  seed  well 
covered,  they  are  not  benefited  by  heavy  earthing  ;  and  that 
plowing  among  them,  or  earthing  them,  after  they  come  in 
bloom,  is  prejudicial. 


118  Potatoes  for  Seed. 

6.  That  the  kinds  best  for  the  table,  are  also  best  for  farm 
stock,  containing  a  larger  portion  of  nutriment  than  inferior 
kinds. 

While  upon  this  subject,  we  will  mention  that  our  friend, 
Capt.  Joab  Centre,  who  some  tome  ago  left  plowing  of  the 
deep  for  plowing  of  the  glebe,  has  invented  a  potatoe  plow, 
which  is  said  greatly  to  facilitate  the  gathering  of  the  crop. 
As  soon  as  we  become  satisfied  of  its  utility  from  our  personal 
knowledge,  we  intend  to  give  a  cut  and  description  of  it. 


Advertisements. 


Quincy  Hall  Agricultural  Ware-House  and 
Seed  Store,  Boston. 

T3UGGLES,  NOURSE  &  MASON,  Manufacturers  of  the  celebrated 
•*•*'  Eagle  Plows,  would  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to  their  extensive 
assortment,  to  which  they  have  recently  added  several  new  patterns,  em- 
bracing important  improvements  in  form,  construction,  and  fixtures,  which 
adapt  them  to  both  shoal  and  extra  deep  plowing.  Then1  particular  form  to 
take  up  the  furrow  slice,  and  turn  it  over  in  the  most  perfect  manner,  with 
the  least  power  of  draft,  leaving  the  soil  in  the  best  possible  condition  for 
after  cultivation,  the  acknowledged  and  unexampled  strength  and  durability 
of  their  castings  and  fixtures,  the  uniform  construction  and  superior  finish  of 
the  wood,  by  machinery  used  only  by  themselves,  are  among  the  peculiar 
characteristics  of  their  plows. 

A  statement  is  given  below,  of  the  premiums  awarded  to  plowmen  using 
the  Eagle  Plows  at  the  plowing  matches  held  in  connection  with  the  Agri- 
cultural Fairs  in  the  different  counties  in  Massachusetts,  where,  it  should  be 
remarked,  that  the  competition  was  as  great  between  the  plow-makers  as 
between  the  plowmen. 


Name  of  Society. 

Year. 

Whole  Nunber  of  Pre- 
miums  Offered. 

Awarded  the  Eagle 
Plows. 

Essex  County,  Mass., 
do             do        do 

1843 
1844 

10  premiums, 
8        do 

9  premiums, 
6        do 

do             do        do 

1845 

11        do 

11        do 

Middlesex  do       do 

1843 

8        do 

5        do 

do             do        do 

1844 

8        do 

5        do 

do             do        do 

1845 

8        do 

6        do 

Worcester  do       do 

1840 

9        do 

9        do 

do             do       do 

1841 

9        do 

9        do 

do             do       do 

1842 

9        do 

9       do 

do             do       do 

1843 

12        do 

12        do 

do             do        do 

1844 

11        do 

7        do 

do             do        do 

1845 

10        do 

8        do 

Plymouth  do        do 
Bristol        do        do 

1844 
1845 

6        do  and  6  gratuities, 
11       do 

6       do  &  6  grat's. 
7        do 

Hampden  do        do 

1844 

3       do 

2        do 

do             do        do 

1845 

6       do 

3        do 

Berkshire  do        do 

1845 

8        do 

7        do 

Barnstable  do        do 

1845 

4        do 

3        do- 

Advertisements. 


It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  at  the  different  plowing-matches  named 
above,  in  the  autumn  of  1845,  of  the  thirteen  first  premiums  offered,  eleven 
were  awarded  to  plowmen  who  used  Euggles,  Nourse  &  Mason's  Eagle 
Plows ;  and  at  the  principal  plowing-matches  in  the  adjoining  states,  their 
work  was  equally  satisfactory,  and  obtained  the  same  preference,  receiving 
the  three  first  premiums  at  Hartford,  Conn. ;  the  two  firsfat  Windham,  Vt. ; 
many  at  the  different  trials  in  Maine  ;  the  highest  at  Poughkeepsie,  N.  Y. ; 
also,  at  the  same  place,  the  premium  for  the  best  plow. 


Sub-soil  Plow. 

This  implement  is  adapted  to  a  common  team,  working  alone  in  the  un- 
der, draining  of  fields  of  recently  sown  grain.  For  loosening  the  ground  in 
road-making  it  is  particularly  valuable.  In  the  preparation  of  land  for  corn 
or  root  crops,  it  should  follow  the  common  plow,  as  it  stirs  the  sub-soil  com- 
pletely without  mixing  it  with  the  more  fertile  soil  above,  leaving  it  in  the 
best  condition  to  be  acted  upon  by  the  atmosphere  and  frost,  and  affording 
an  unfailing  supply  of  moisture  to  the  roots,  which  are  enabled,  after  this 
mode  of  preparation,  to  extend  to  a  greater  depth.  The  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society  have  awarded  their  first  premium  to  the  Sub-Soil  Plow 
made  by  Ruggles,  Nourse,  &  Mason. 

Stevens'  Spiral  Cylinder  Hay  and  Straw  Cutter. 

Retail  Prices. 
No.  1.  $8,00 

2.  10,00 

3.  11,00 

4.  12,00 

5.  13,00 

6.  14,00 

7.  15,00 

8.  17,00 

9.  18,00 

10.  19,00 

11.  22,00 

12.  24,00 

13.  26,00 

For  horse  power,  $1  extra. 
These  Cutters  combine  all  the  latest  improvements  made  in  cylinder  ma- 


Advertisements. 


chines,  which  render  them  decidedly  the  best  that  have  ever  been  offered  to 
the  public.  The  knives  are  let  into  grooves,  made  in  the  cylinder,  and  con- 
fined by  bands  or  rings  of  iron  at  the  ends,  which  secure  them  firmly,  and 
give  them  a  decided  advantage  over  all  other  Cylinder  Cutters,  where  the 
knives  are  merely  fastened  to  wings  Avith  screws,  which  are  not  found  suffi- 
ciently strong  to  cut  corn  stalks,  and  experience  having  proved  that  the 
wings  serve  to  clog  the  machine,  by  filling  up  the  spaces  between  the  knives. 

At  the  Cattle  Show  and  Fair  held  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  the  fall  of  1841, 
the  first  premium  was  awarded  to  Stevens'  Spiral  Cylinder  Hay  and  Straw 
Cutter,  in  competition  with  Hovey's  and  other  machines. 

Their  Warehouse  possesses  great  attraction  for  the  Agriculturalist,  Hor- 
ticulturalist,  or  dealer  in  seeds  and  implements,  having  far  the  greatest  col- 
lection and  variety  that  can  be  found  at  any  similar  establishment  in  the 
countiy,  among  which  are  the  following  implements :  — 

Eagle  Plows,  30  kinds  and  sizes  ;  Sub-Soil  Plows,  4  sizes ;  Sidehill  Plows, 
5  do. ;  Double  Mould  do.,  2  do. ;  Cultivators,  3  do. ;  Harrows,  various  kinds ; 
Field  Boilers ;  Corn  Planters ;  Seed  Sowers ;  Corn  Shellers ;  Eevolving 
Horse  Rakes ;  Grain  Cradles  ;  Garden  Engines  ;  Winnowing  Mills ;  Vegeta- 
ble Cutters  ;  Churns  ;  Hoes,  a  large  variety ;  Shovels  and  Spades  ;  Pruning 
Saws  ;  Transplanting  Trowels  ;  Grass  and  Garden  Shears ;  Tree  Scrapers  ; 
Hay  and  Manure  Forks  ;  Garden  and  Hay  Rakes  ;  Hay  Knives  5  Axes  and 
Hatchets ;  Scythes  and  Scythe  Snaiths ;  Ox  Yokes,  and  Bows ;  Ox  Balls  : 
Bull  Rings ;  Road  Scrapers ;  Sickles  and  Corn  Knives  ;  Budding  and  Prun- 
ing Knives.  .  ^  •* 

All  the  above  are  offered  at  wholesale  and  retail  at  the  lowest  cash  prices. 

AGENTS  :  — A.  B.  Allen,  187,  Water  Street,  New  York;  E.  Comstock  & 
Co.,  Albany,  N.  Y. ;  Kennedy  &  Bragaw,  Hartford,  Conn. 


11 


Advertisements. 


New  Agricultural  Seed  Store. 

For  sale  of  Farming  and  all  kinds  of  Grass  Seeds,  Guano,  Nitrate  of  Soda,  Sec.-, 


THE  Subscriber  has  opened  a  store  for  the  exclusive  sale  of  FAKMING 
or  AGRICULTURAL  SEEDS. 

An  experience  of  upwards  of  fifteen  years  as  a  seedsman,  encourages  him 
to  ask  the  support  of  the  Agricultural  community  in  this  new  undertaking. 

His  attention  has  been  particularly  devoted  to  the  selection  of  grass  seeds, 
with  seeds  of  other  field  crops,  and  he  now  offers,  for  the  first  time  in  this 
country, 

GRASS  SEEDS  IN  MIXTURES, 

Adapted  to  particular  soils  and  situations,  viz  : 

Mixture  for  mowing  on  light  soils, 
"  "  heavy  do. 

«  "  dry      do. 

"  ~"  wet      do. 

"         permanent  pasture,  on  various  soils, 
"         land  much  shaded  by  trees, 
"         lawns  and  pleasure  grounds, 
"  "      fo'be-fed, 

And  other  mixtures  of  seed,  which  will  be  adapted  to  the  particular  soils 
for  which  they  are  intended. 

The  system  here  proposed  will  be  found  an  economical  and  judicious 
mode  of  seeding,  which  must  commend  itself  to  the  favor  of  all  good  culti- 
vators, as  it  cannot  fail  to  give  the  highest  satisfaction  to  all  who  give  it  a 
trial. 

Orders  for  either  of  the  above  named  mixtures,  will  be  filled  either  by 
the  bushel,  or,  if  a  description  of  the  land  to  be  seeded  is  sent  to  me,  stating 
the  number  of  acres,  the  kind  of  soil,  whether  for  mowing,  pasturing,  &c.,  I 
will  forward  the  seed,  in  sufficient  quantity  for  the  purpose.  Also, 

AFRICAN    AND    PERUVIAN    GUANO, 

In  large  and  small  lots. 

NITRATE  OF  SODA, 

A  superior  fertilizer  for  top  dressing  grass  lands,  in  bags  containing  suffi- 
cient for  one  acre.  Price  $5. 

Orders,  and  letters  of  inquiry,  will  receive  prompt  attention. 

CHARLES  P.  BOSSON,  Seedsman. 

Office  in  the  Horticultural  Hall,  School  St.,  Boston. 


, 


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